Home Front Girl: A Diary of Love, Literature, and Growing Up in Wartime America

Gr 7 Up—World War II is not the focus of this book. Instead, what Morrison presents is social commentary on the times. Her diary entries span the years 1937–1943, from the time the author was 14 until she was 20, and reflect her home, school, and social life with a bit of news thrown in. Her original drawings, photographs, and newspaper clippings (and transcripts) add interesting and authentic content. Readers will find young Joan to be intelligent, but at times flighty, inspiring yet also boring, humble and often quite proud-a normal teenager. However, today's teens might find it hard to relate to her life and find the vernacular of the era difficult to follow. Footnotes explain unfamiliar vocabulary and people, but also interrupt the flow of the text. This posthumous publication was compiled and edited by the author's daughter and is a good primary source to complement an American history textbook; it might also be enjoyed by readers who like historical diaries of real people.—Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY