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Rosie's Daughters: The "First Woman To" Generation Tells Its Story

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Rosie's Daughters is a delightful collection of stories written by and about the generation of women born during World War II (1940-45).
Psychologist Matilda Butler interviewed over 100 women from all over the country, and along with Kendra Bonnett, put her research into a collective memoir, placing personal stories within a cultural context. "In each story we find an individual; with a preponderance of stories we begin to see the patterns that define our generation."

Rosie's daughters were raised by the women who worked alongside the mythic Rosie the Riveter. They are known as the FW2 Generation for the sheer numbers of them who became the `First Woman To__. "They can claim more firsts in personal change, educational attainment, and career achievements than any previous generation"

The familiar face of Rosie herself graces the cover of this stylish book. A timeline runs along the bottom of each page beginning with 1940 in chapter 1 and ending with 2005. Each year lists some of the most memorable moments of the time highlighting women's achievements. Period black & white photographs pepper the pages like a well-worn family scrapbook. Famous FW2 women, like Linda Ellerbee and Cokie Roberts, share their words of wisdom in the margins for further reflection.
The core chapters of the book follow the chronology of a woman's life: Education, Marriage, Children, Work, Divorce, & Spiritual Lives.

Butler found herself changed by writing this book. "I may have started as a social scientist but I grew into a memoirist" She confirms what all of us who write our life stories come to realize. "Telling (or writing) one's life story is a transformative event. You will not be the same at the ending as you were at the beginning."

Whether you were born during WWII, or before, or are a Baby Boomer, like myself, you will enjoy eavesdropping on the FW2 generation.

This book is both a fascinating and serious look at the lives of women born during World War 11. I read it twice. The first time for the personal stories, and the second time for the socio-cultural context in which these women lived. It is the perfect book to give to adult children who think that the world begins and ends with the Boomer generation. I highly recommend Rosie's Daughters to readers of all ages.

I just recently finished reading Rosie's Daughters and LOVED IT! I thought I might have some difficulty with the format as it is a little different than my accustomed reading, but I had no problem at all. In fact, it was great fun deciding how I would go at it and which part or section I would read first. I didn't really develop a pattern, but just did what felt best. The book is definitely a "page turner". Thank you for the amazing insight you have of our generation. The book certainly helped me figure out many things in my own life that I wouldn't have considered before reading this amazing book.

Rosie's Daughters: The "First Women To" Generation Tells Its Story. Matilda Butler and Kendra Bonnett

Butler and Bonnett skillfully weave personal stories, history, and psychological knowledge and insight into this collective memoir of women born during World War II. Their premise is that, yes, individuals are shaped by the times in which they live, but females are additionally shaped by the females who preceded them. Consequently, as the title suggests, women who were born between 1940 and 1945--Rosie the Riveter's daughters--"claim more firsts in personal change, educational attainment, and career achievements than any previous generation of women of comparable size" (17).

Replete with photos, a running timeline, and sidebars by other famous Rosie's daughters, this book is engaging, readable, and insightful. It provides numerous "aha" moments about life and living. This is an important book. I give it two thumbs up and five stars!

Patricia Roberts, Hollis, NH

I'd had never heard of the FW2 generation until I read "Rosie's Daughters: the 'First Women To' Generation Tells its Stories." What a good book this is!

The generation covered in this book refers to those American women born between 1940 and 1945, the daughters of the iconic "Rosie the Riveters" who came to adulthood in the turbulent sixties. Talk about breaking glass ceilings -- only for this generation of women, those ceilings were often made of concrete. Yet they still managed to break through them and become the "first women to" -- you name it -- this generation of women achieved more firsts that any group of women before or since. They shaped the modern world for their younger sisters, daughters and granddaughters, providing us with freedoms and encouragement that they or their mothers never had.

Authors Matilda Butler (an FW2 herself) and Kendra Bonnett (a successor Baby Boomer) interviewed and tell the stories of more than 100 FW2 women -- intimate, richly detailed stories that will make you laugh, cry, nod in recognition, and most of all, feel grateful.

This is an inspirational read that reminds us again that it's not only the famous who make history; it's not only the rich and powerful who can change the world.

I have a file of newspaper and magazine interviews and stories on women-of-a-certain-age who accomplish amazing things in the last half of their lives. Matilda Butler's new book has many of these 'role models' and many more covered in "Rosie's Daughters". It is wonderful to trace how these admirable women were influenced by the events of post-WW2 America. Now, I am discovering that I and my friends are also those role models to the on-coming generations of younger women.
Denise Ferris