Good-Bye, Piccadilly: British War Brides in America
(Part of the Statue of Liberty -- Ellis Island Centennial Series Series)
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Book Overview
As much of the world tried to return to normal living and working patterns after World War II, some 70,000 British women chose to be uprooted from the homeland they knew and loved. These were British war brides, a uniformly young group who by marrying American servicemen became part of the largest single group of female immigrants to the United States. Though the women came to the U.S. from all parts of the British Isles, they were an unusually homogeneous group, averaging 23 years of age, from working- or lower-middle-class families and having completed mandatory schooling to the age of fourteen. For the most part they emigrated alone and didn't move into an existing immigrant population. Jenel Virden draws on records in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., and the Public Record Office in London, as well as questionnaires and personal interviews, in relating the women's story. Virden finds that the marriages actually took place in spite of, rather than because of, the war. And, while the women benefited from special nonrestrictive immigration legislation--and found public welcomes and a good deal of favorable publicity when they arrived--they also had much in common with other immigrant groups, including a strong sense of ethnic identity.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:025206528X
ISBN13:9780252065286
Release Date:February 1996
Publisher:University of Illinois Press
Length:192 Pages
Weight:0.75 lbs.
Dimensions:0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
4 ratings
The author - my aunt
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Jenel Virden, the author, is my aunt. I have read the book twice. The most enjoyable parts are the quotes from my late grandmother, Peggy (Hunt) Virden. When I read them, I can hear her voice, and the quotes sound exactly like what she would have said. It's almost as good as a recording. I can only imagine it's the same for the other children and grandchildren of the women she interviewed and quoted. I may be a little biased, but I think that my aunt did a very good job of bringing together a variety of voices. It's also well written.
Entertaining and informative
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
This is a great book for anyone interested in the lifes of GI war brides as well as anyone else who has moved from one country to another in order to follow one's heart.
Wish Id read this book years ago
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Fantastic book, I bought another copy to send to my best friend who was like me aBritish War Bride, I only wishI had know of the survays being done at that time, I would have loved to have participated in its information,
Little-known history.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
The British war brides, some 70,000 strong, occupy a special place in American military and immigration history. The majority of war brides of World War II GI's, they represented a significant administrative and logistical problem to an officialdom (of both countries) which hoped in vain that the problem would go away. They persevered, despite hardships, intentional obstacles, and ill-concealed suspicions about their motives, and while most regard themselves as inevitably hyphenated Americans, the vast majority would do it all again. Their story is well told here, shedding light on a little-known corner of World War II history and, incidentally, revealing much about life and love in the two countries. (The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score' books.)
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