non-fiction | Book Girl & Little Bear

The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back by Shannon McKenna Schmidt

In August and September of 2023, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt spent five weeks in New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific, at the request of the President. Eleanor was also appointed a special Red Cross delegate and asked to inspect American Red Cross facilities. Well known for her newspaper columns “My Day,” the first lady was 58 and her four sons were all in the armed forces. Much of her visit was kept secret, with most of her columns published after her return and labeled, somewhere in Australia or somewhere in the South Pacific. I was surprised to learn that she traveled without an aide or companion, or even a single dress. She wore only Red Cross uniforms in seersucker or wool, and packed her manual typewriter, wiring her columns to her editor in New York.

While touring hospitals, Red Cross stations, cities, villages, military bases, and camps, she tried to spend as much time as possible with women doing war work, hospital patients, and enlisted men. The author spent four years researching and writing this book, which was a compelling and educational read for me. Eleanor visited Christmas Island, New Caledonia, Guadalcanal, and Oahu, among other islands. She wasn’t allowed to visit New Guinea and had to ask repeatedly to visit Guadalcanal. While there was some controversy over her trip, her visits with the troops were reportedly much enjoyed, and she tried to send a note to the family of every hospital patient she visited. The trip was very hard on her; she lost quite a bit of weight and was exhausted and depressed for a while upon her return, as the hospital visits took a toll and the sights she saw on the islands, including makeshift cemeteries, made her sad. Her observations for the President led to some improvements in conditions for the troops; her columns about her 25,000 mile journey helped educate Americans about life for Americans in the south Pacific, and she most definitely boosted morale for many. This fairly short, well researched and inspiring read certainly enlightened me about events and conditions in New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific in 1943. You can read Eleanor Roosevelt’s “My Day” columns here.

Brenda

The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans by Bill Hammack

This is a short, engaging read which taught me about how engineering and science differ, and the awesomeness of engineers. The stories of lone inventors of famous things are often wrong, or only a tiny part of the story. Using science, a rule of thumb, then human ingenuity, engineering moves beyond science to adapt or create something new, sometimes just tiny improvements or failed attempts that later become something practical and enduring.

Cathedrals are one example. How did the masons know how thick to make the walls of an arch? How did the beautiful white on blue Wedgwood ceramics get made. From the filaments of light bulbs to microwave ovens and color photos, little known engineers figured out how strong to build the Sears Tower, or how to design satellite propulsion systems.

Bill Hammack is a professor of engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign but is better known as an author and especially as Engineer Guy. His short, entertaining videos at engineerguy.com are part of his goal to share engineering with everyone. Readalike authors include Simon Winchester, Henry Petroski, Adam Grant, and Peter Diamandis.

I have been reading more non-fiction lately, and enjoying it, though I read non-fiction much more slowly than fiction.

I recently finished Life on the Mississippi by Rinker Buck and Life in Five Senses by Gretchen Rubin, and am currently enjoying reading The Secret World of Weather by Tristan Gooley, Under Alien Skies by Philip Plait, and have just started An Immense World by Ed Yong.

Brenda