When the Men Were Gone, by Marjorie Herrera Lewis
This short, tender novel is based on an interesting moment in history. It takes place during World War II when a woman’s place was considered to be in the home and nowhere else, regardless of the circumstances. It is an easy read written by a woman who among other jobs held, was once a modern day football coach like the star of the novel, Tylene Wilson, a woman of character and courage.
Tylene is charming and authentic for the time period. The standards and expectations of that mid-century, war-time era are laid out honestly and even brutally at times. The war has taken a terrible toll on the people of Brownwood as it has on the rest of the world. However, unlike today, then patriotism was a badge of honor, not a walk of shame. No one would take a knee while the National Anthem was playing. No one would even think of not standing up and crossing their hearts.
The time is 1944 and all the men have gone to war or become casualties of it. The Brownwood football time, the Lions, have no coach and the only one qualified and willing to step up to do the job is Tylene Wilson. Tylene really did exist, and she did become the coach of the team, perhaps under undue duress, but it was to be expected at that time because in this time period, women were supposed to wear aprons and stay at home, cooking, cleaning, caring for a husband and rearing children. A woman in a position of power and authority in sports was considered anathema and even more so, shameful. It was humiliating for a man to even have to consider working with a woman and as a subordinate to her.
The backlash from the town shocked Tylene Wilson when she was made the coach. She and her husband faced the meanness of those that did not believe a woman should be so unladylike. The scuttlebutt was that her power would weaken her husband’s. The narrow minded would rather see the season go by without a team or a game then have a woman do what they perceived was a man’s work. This book proves how wrong headed they were.
While the story is a bit syrupy, I think it is better defined as endearing. Similar to the feel-good, honest moments readers have come to expect from the novels written by Fredrick Backman, this book expresses the feelings and values of a time gone by. It is a warm hearted novel that is filled with the values we once held dear, but lately seem to have forgotten. For a walk down memory lane into a world where Tylene comes into her own, proves her worth as a woman and makes the world an even better place because of it, read and lose yourself in this inspiring story.