Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory
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Book Overview
In 1943 two spirited young teachers decided to do their part for the war effort by spending their summer vacation working the swing shift on a B-24 production line at a San Diego bomber plant. Entering a male-dominated realm of welding torches and bomb bays, they learned to use tools that they had never seen before, live with aluminum shavings in their hair, and get along with supervisors and coworkers from all walks of life. They also learned that wearing their factory slacks on the street caused men to treat them in a way for which their "dignified schoolteacher-hood" hadn't prepared them. At times charming, hilarious, and incredibly perceptive, Slacks and Calluses brings into focus an overlooked part of the war effort, one that forever changed the way the women were viewed in America.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:156098368X
ISBN13:9781560983682
Release Date:October 2004
Publisher:Smithsonian Books
Length:200 Pages
Weight:0.51 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.5" x 7.5"
Customer Reviews
6 ratings
Fun and Quick Read
Published by K.Horning , 22 days ago
This book was an easy and quick read. I really enjoyed reading their story and being able to do so directly from their POV was fantastic! I am from San Diego, born and raised, and did not know too much about the Consolidated factory work there, so it was educational as well! I definitely would recommend.
Highly recommended!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
This is a wonderful little book! Written in an easy and unpretentious style, it has merit not just for "women's studies" readers, but for anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of period airplane manufacturing and indeed, the whole spirit of Homefront America in World War II. This book is both very entertaining and a real slice of "you are there" in a bygone era. Good history and good writing.
A First Hand Account
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
This book is a find--a first hand account of two Rosie the Riveters. The contemporaneous memoir of two school teachers who spent the summer of `43 building B-24s in San Diego fascinates with details--getting hired, what was security like in wartime factories, how were these two educated women treated differently when they donned slacks and became factory workers? The writing is quick and humorous, like Betty MacDonald's The Egg and I which has remained popular since 1945. Constance Bowman Reid's epilogue, written in 1999, is a touching finale. You'll want to know what she's been up to in the intervening 50 years.
Refreshing look at a unique slice of american history
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This Book evokes a unique time and experience for women in this country. It accurately depicts the rigors and effort that came as a surprise to all of the work force as women pitched in for the war effort. That it is cleverly done with good humor and the ability to poke fun at the situation, makes it even more of a jewel.
Slacks and Calluses: Our Summer in a Bomber Factory
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
A great Read! Cleverly written and laugh out loud funny. An interesting primary source of history--a must read for WW II enthusiasts. My wife was intrigued by the women's history angle. We both loved the illustrations.
Delightfully droll! We enjoyed every minute of it!!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
The fresh, unusual and highly amusing account of two young teachers who spend the summer of 1943 working the swing shift on the production line of a San Diego bomber plant. A hit when it first appeared in 1944, the book has now been reissued by the Smithsonian. Just as much fun to read today as it was then, the book, with its light hearted text and illustrations, will surely be a hit again!
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