A New Version

The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line launched out of the publisher’s hands and into the faraway lands of multiple independent bookstores, Amazon listings, and thousands of libraries on August 3, 2021. The book arrived to a mix of good reviews and some great ones, plus the usual cranks and critics. Like flies at a picnic, the launch wouldn’t have been complete without them.

I was most proud of how the families of the women portrayed in this book received the stories of their loved ones for what they were meant to be – a tribute to their loved one’s life – their service, sacrifices and ultimately as a gift – to give them recognition long overdue. I was most blessed to be able to speak with two of the living veterans featured in the book. They loved the other stories but wondered how in the world they could have been featured beside such amazing women. That is the Greatest Generation – ever humble and quietly grateful for the chances they had to make a difference.

Friends liked the book. They told their friends. I’ve been blessed to be able to talk about the Girls to a variety of audiences, from the WWII Museum’s National Conference this past November (now showing on C-Span) to fans of women in aviation at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia. And with dozens of book clubs and at places in between, large and small any people have sent me pictures of my book displayed in bookstores, airport gift shops, and libraries. That continues to thrill me – that the Girls are finding new audiences and that appreciation for them and their peers continues to grow.

Wherever I went (virtually for quite a long time, now more in person) I found people appreciative of what these incredible people did, the choices they made, the separations and pains of prejudice and culture they had to endure in order to simply do their jobs.
Many told me about their grandparents, how their grandmother was a WASP pilot, a nurse, or a proud member of the 6888 Central Postal Battalion. Several told me that both sets of their grandparents were Holocaust survivors. The legacy of those survivors continues as a testament to their drive not only to live but also to prevail.

And of course, there is also the growing legacy these women left. Since writing the book during the early months of the Pandemic when it was difficult, and sometimes impossible, to access historical information critical to telling their stories, I found that once it was published, I was able to find more resources.

From the discovery of a lost oral history video, I learned about how Stephanie Czech met her husband in London and how she outfoxed Gen. Mark Clark and held onto an illicit sedan she had commandeered. Kate Nolan’s daughter told me about the unexpected connection between Kate Nolan and Mary Previte – and how Mary Previte was honored in her hometown’s Fourth of July parade in 2021. Many of these women took pride in appearing at patriotic events throughout their lives.

So many stories – Daily I wish I could include more. Too late, I learned about Charlotte Mansfield, a professional photographer who served with the Eighth Air Force and processed film from battle damage runs. I found more intrepid survivors too, and at least once a week I still find a story about the passing of an incredible woman or man whose bravery in that war were instrumental in leading to a new world of peace and postwar prosperity. I am in awe of them.
At one book signing, a man who’d never heard of the book walked up to me and asked, “How can you say these women changed the course of World War II? That’s ridiculous.”

No. It’s not. Everyone who lived through those times and fought the good fight on the side of democracy and the right of all people to live in peace was instrumental in making the allied victory inevitable. Every single one of them contributed. Every one.
I’m most often asked what led me to these stories and how I decided who to include in the chapters that were taking shape. So many times I felt the people I wrote about were the ones who found me. And even now I can read about them in some news clip or snippet of research I hadn’t found before and be impressed by them all over again.