Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Homefront in World War II [Hardcover]

Penny Colman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 1995 | Age Level: 11 and up

Illustrated with black-and-white photographs. When America's men went off to war in 1942, millions of women were recruited, through posters and other propaganda, to work at non-traditional jobs.  In defense plants, factories, offices, and everywhere else workers were needed, they were--for the first time--well paid and financially independent.  But eventually the war ended, and the government and industries that had once persuaded them to work for the war effort now instructed them to return home and take care of their husbands and children.  Based on interviews and original research by noted historian Penny Colman, Rosie the Riveter shows young readers how women fought World War II from the home front.  

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Colman (A Woman Unafraid: The Achievements of Frances Perkins) here turns her attention to the forced entry of approximately 6.2 million women into the labor force during WWII. While the text is less than polished, the author does a good job of explaining the events surrounding the war and the economic conditions that temporarily produced a female-dominated work force. Incorporating many first-hand accounts, she evenly explores the resistance, both internal and external, that many women had to overcome in taking on traditionally male jobs. Most interesting is a discussion detailing the highly organized government campaign that sought first to make the notion of women in the workplace seem both acceptable and patriotic, but later, at the end of the war, strove to erase that image as men returned to claim their jobs. Unfortunately, Colman does not take her investigation very far-she fails to measure the effects of this vital period on industry, on politics and, particularly, on the lives of American women. Numerous well-captioned period photographs depict a range of "Rosie"s (including some women of color), and examples of propaganda posters are especially illuminating. Ages 9-up. A Junior Library Guild Selection.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9?Colman chronicles the drive to get women to enter wartime industries, providing insight into the federal government's propaganda campaign and incentives. She also supplies the facts and figures: many more women than one might suppose had full-time employment before the war, and many continued to work after it, sometimes in positions that were considerably less important and less lucrative. The author also discusses the sexual harassment and racial discrimination women experienced while doing their patriotic duty. The compromises they had to make in order to manage child care and to prove to men on the job that they were their equals are frequently ignored in other historical treatments of the Rosie-the-riveter phenomenon. From Colman's point of view, the experiences of stateside workers led the way to some of the more liberal reforms later in the century, especially for women and minorities. The abundant black-and-white photographs included are a real treat. An excellent addition.?Ruth K. MacDonald, Bay Path College, Longmeadow, MA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 120 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (February 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 051759790X
• ISBN-13: 978-0517597903
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Penny Colman writes about illustrious and fascinating women and a wide range of significant and intriguing topics in her award-winning books for all ages. Born in Denver, Colorado, in 1944, she grew up in North Warren, Pennsylvania, on the grounds of a state mental hospital, where her father was a psychiatrist. In 1960, she joined a group and rode her bicycle (plus took a few train rides) across the U.S. In 1964 she dropped out of college, worked in a frozen food factory in Sweden and hitchhiked throughout Europe, including to Turkey and Greece. Between 1965-1970, she graduated from college and graduate school, got married, and had three very close-in-age children. In 1987, as her children were graduating from high school, Penny Colman embarked on a freelance writing career and has been going full steam ever since.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars outstanding, June 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II (Paperback)

Colman combines masterful storytelling with criticalcutting-edge insight to create an imposing study of a crucial periodin U.S. history. Rosie the Riveter reveals the ways in which government and industry manipulated gender roles to serve their own interests both before and after the war. Colman's Rosie the Riveter is history at its best- engaging narrative, illuminating details, and fabulous photographs (including a picture of Marilyn Monroe as a war worker).

4.0 out of 5 stars Rosie: Class of her own, February 4, 2012

By 

K. West (MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II (Paperback)

I used this book as part of several when I was doing a paper and presentation on Rosie the Riveter and Working Women and WWII. I found it helpful.

5.0 out of 5 stars Reminds Us of our own Rosie, February 1, 2012

By 

J. M. Southall - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rosie The Riveter (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (School & Library Binding)

This book was given to our neice as a rememberance of her Grandmother who was a real life Rosie the Riveter during WWII. She worked at Wainwright Shipyard, Panama City, Florida building Liberty Ships during the war.