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Susan Signe Morrison
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Home Front Girl: A Diary of Love, Literature, and Growing Up in Wartime America Hardcover – November 1, 2012

3.5 3.5 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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Literary Classics Gold Medal in Historical Young Adult
Literary Classics Words on Wings Young Adult Book Award

Wednesday, December 10, 1941

“Hitler speaks to Reichstag tomorrow. We just heard the first casualty lists over the radio. . . . Lots of boys from Michigan and Illinois. Oh my God! . . . Life goes on though. We read our books in the library and eat lunch, bridge, etc. Phy. Sci. and Calculus. Darn Descartes. Reading Walt Whitman now.”

This diary of a smart, astute, and funny teenager provides a fascinating record of what an everyday American girl felt and thought during the Depression and the lead-up to World War II. Young Chicagoan Joan Wehlen describes her daily life growing up in the city and ruminates about the impending war, daily headlines, and major touchstones of the era—FDR’s radio addresses, the Lindbergh kidnapping, Goodbye Mr. Chips and Citizen Kane, Churchill and Hitler, war work and Red Cross meetings. Included are Joan’s charming doodles of her latest dress or haircut reflective of the era. Home Front Girl is not only an entertaining and delightful read but an important primary source—a vivid account of a real American girl’s lived experiences.

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  1. Reading age
    12 years and up
  2. Print length
    272 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 9
  5. Lexile measure
    840L
  6. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.94 x 8.5 inches
  7. Publisher
    Chicago Review Press
  8. Publication date
    November 1, 2012
  9. ISBN-10
    1613744579
  10. ISBN-13
    978-1613744574
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-World War II is not the focus of this book. Instead, what Morrison presents is social commentary on the times. Her diary entries span the years 1937-1943, from the time the author was 14 until she was 20, and reflect her home, school, and social life with a bit of news thrown in. Her original drawings, photographs, and newspaper clippings (and transcripts) add interesting and authentic content. Readers will find young Joan to be intelligent, but at times flighty, inspiring yet also boring, humble and often quite proud-a normal teenager. However, today's teens might find it hard to relate to her life and find the vernacular of the era difficult to follow. Footnotes explain unfamiliar vocabulary and people, but also interrupt the flow of the text. This posthumous publication was compiled and edited by the author's daughter and is a good primary source to complement an American history textbook; it might also be enjoyed by readers who like historical diaries of real people.-Wendy Scalfaro, G. Ray Bodley High School, Fulton, NY α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review


“An important and refreshingly engaging word painting of a far more innocent time in U.S. history. Home Front Girl is all about the thrill of being young, of questioning, and dreaming … and how those dreams can so easily begin to shatter under the crush of impending world events. The perspective here could not be more pure. Recommended!” —Graham Salisbury, author of Under the Blood-Red Sun and Eyes of the Emperor

“This captivating diary of the years leading into World War II provides a fresh view of the American scene, before and after the attack on Pearl Harbor."  —Donald A. Ritchie, author of Doing Oral History


"Home Front Girl reveals the perceptions of a creative, brilliant, and hopeful yet genuine teenage girl in an uncertain and perilous era. Joan’s charm, naiveté, curiosity, and philosophies (reminiscent of Anne Frank) revealed in her journals left me with the hope that such depth of thought, creativity, sweetness, and forgiveness—as well as her sense of wonder—may still be found in today’s generation of young people."  —Joan Hiatt Harlow, author of Star in the Storm


"A Chicago teenager's journal–riveting and real–recalls an era when adolescence was a preparation for adult life."  —Richard Peck, author of Fair Weather

"Her sensitivity to and exuberance about events large and small is contagious, though her poetic tendencies are tempered by her doubts, intellect, sarcasm, and savvy. Witnessing Morrison mature as a woman and a writer is invigorating and memorable." — PublishersWeekly.com

"These diaries are a treasure on a scale with Anne Frank's. They tell the remarkable story of a real girl in a momentous time in history, from a unique viewpoint full of humor, insight, and emotional highs and lows on both a personal and an international level." —BlogCritics



"A fine, insightful and sometimes moving journal composed by a wholly likable young woman—better than fiction."  —Kirkus


"[The book] provides a window into the 1940s, a time so different than today, technologically, but strikingly similar as well. . . . An excellent [way to] . . . understand what the average citizen was experiencing while war unfolded."  —VOYA

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chicago Review Press; 1st edition (November 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1613744579
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1613744574
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 years and up
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 840L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.94 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.5 3.5 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the authors

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  1. Susan Signe Morrison

    Susan Signe Morrison

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    Living in Austin, Texas, I write on topics lurking in the margins of history, ranging from recently uncovered diaries of a teenaged girl in World War II to medieval women pilgrims, excrement in the Middle Ages, and waste. Professor of English at Texas State University, I am committed to bringing the lives of women hidden in the shades of history to a wider audience. I can be found at homefrontgirldiary.com, grendelsmotherthenovel.com, amedievalwomanscompanion.com, and susansignemorrison.com.

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  2. Joan Morrison

    Joan Morrison

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Customer reviews

3.5 out of 5 stars
41 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They describe it as a good journal for younger people and a great volume for history lovers. Opinions differ on readability, with some finding it enjoyable and well-written, while others say it's dull and annoying at times.

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InsightInterestReadability
7 customers mention "Insight"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book insightful and interesting. They say it gives a wonderful view into the mind of a teenager during this time. Readers also mention the book is a wonderful historical artifact. However, some find it dull and unmoving.

"...What is intriguing is her point of view...." Read more

"...The excerpts that she read were very insightful and mainly centered around Joan Wehlen Morrison's thoughts about World War II and the U.S...." Read more

"...wonderful The reader gets to know Joan as an incredibly bright, deep-thinking girl who also loves movies, boys and all the stuff of adolescence...." Read more

"...The book may be a wonderful historical artifact. However, it is dull and unmoving...." Read more

6 customers mention "Interest"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book interesting, wonderful, and a good journal for younger people. They say it's a great volume for history lovers and memoirs.

"This is an extremely interesting book - but remember that it is the diary of a teen age girl (although by the end she is 20 years old)...." Read more

"Young Joan Wehlen's diary entries are wonderful The reader gets to know Joan as an incredibly bright, deep-thinking girl who also loves movies,..." Read more

"Very interesting; this journal, written by a high school girl during the years leading up to WWII is very well done...." Read more

"...However, it is a good journal for younger people. (I am 63.)" Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"6 positive5 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the readability of the book. Some mention it's enjoyable and well-written, while others say it's dull and annoying at times with constant and unnecessary footnotes.

"...It is fun to look up her favorite songs and popular entertainment - I heard Etta James (I believe) sing "Mr. Five by Five" and you cannot beat..." Read more

"...The footnotes are silly and rarely add anything to the prose.Joan Wehlen was a very intelligent and optimistic girl and young woman...." Read more

"...It was interesting, but it was not at all what I expected." Read more

"This is not really a book about the home front. The book was very annoying at times with the constant and unnecessary footnotes and the disjointed..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

david makofsky
4.0 out of 5 stars I was amazed by her insights - thesis an extremely bright girl ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is an extremely interesting book - but remember that it is the diary of a teen age girl (although by the end she is 20 years old). What is intriguing is her point of view. I am an old man, and my view of the 1930's is shaped by my Jewish communist parents, especially my father, who I talked with extensively. My father was about 10 years older than Joan Wehlin and saw the 1930's in a much different way.

Th girl in question comes from a Swedish-German background in Chicago, perhaps Catholic, perhaps Lutheran, out is difficult to tell. This is a girl who (in the 1960's parlence) "marches to the beat of a different drummer - even among her friends and family. She is quite sympathetic to the Germans, and subtly at first (she is only 13 or 14 when the diary begins) but dramatically at the end, is put off by propaganda that lauds the British and villainizes the Germans. At one point, she says "The Americans sympathize with the British victims of the Blitz, what about the German victims". The fault is the versailles treaty and Churchill, who is lionized today, is called "pig face".
I was amazed by her insights - this is an extremely bright girl who is actually fighting the patriotic sentiments of her parents and friends. She is for peace, period.
Lindbergh, who my parents (and the current Zionist-influenced press) attack as a Nazi sympathizer is seen as a peace figure. I loved this -my wife and I talked about this for along time.
Now there is a lot on her growing up, and some funny issues as she comes into sexual awareness. It is fun to look up her favorite songs and popular entertainment - I heard Etta James (I believe) sing "Mr. Five by Five" and you cannot beat Johnny Mercer's version of "take it off".
Qs Joan says over and over again - this is propaganda - then, now, always.
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K. C. Hendry
3.0 out of 5 stars Didn't Live Up to Expectations
Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
I had heard Susan Signe Morrison read excepts from this book on a TV show, although I can't remember what show it was. It was my turn to pick the book for my book club and I thought this would be perfect for us. The excerpts that she read were very insightful and mainly centered around Joan Wehlen Morrison's thoughts about World War II and the U.S. involvement. The book contains Joan's diary, which she kept from the time she was 14. While she clearly was a bright young woman, the majority of the entries are typical teen-age girl thoughts. It was interesting, but it was not at all what I expected.
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P. Vogler
5.0 out of 5 stars A trip back in time, with a charming and brilliant travel guide!
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2013
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Young Joan Wehlen's diary entries are wonderful The reader gets to know Joan as an incredibly bright, deep-thinking girl who also loves movies, boys and all the stuff of adolescence. The reader experiences Joan's growth from girlhood to womanhood, and marvels at her intelligence, sensitivity, and sense of fun. Her descriptions of (and commentary on) life in Chicago during this fascinating time in world history (1937-1943) are often riveting. This is a great volume for history lovers as well as those who enjoy memoirs.
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JC Reader
2.0 out of 5 stars Nice idea. Quite boring to read.
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2014
Verified Purchase
One of the members of my book club chose this for our March 2014 book. This member is a history major, and she likes books that consist of diary entries.

Unfortunately, we were all disappointed once we starting reading. The book may be a wonderful historical artifact. However, it is dull and unmoving. The footnotes are silly and rarely add anything to the prose.

Joan Wehlen was a very intelligent and optimistic girl and young woman. Her positive personality and character traits did not make up for the absence of emotion and depth that are sorely missed in "Home Front Girl." I suggest that you not waste time or money with this book. Instead, I highly suggest that you read the re-published version of "The Diary of Ann Frank." Or read it again if you have read it before.
4 people found this helpful
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Hope
4.0 out of 5 stars Great for history buffs
Reviewed in the United States on July 28, 2016
Verified Purchase
The title is VERY misleading. The diary covers 1937-1943, but over half of the entries from 1942 and all save two entries from 1943 are missing- the wartime years, mind you. So those going in to read what life was like during the American wartime years- December 1941- August 1945- will be VERY disappointed.

However, as a history buff, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Joan's diary. I would have titled it Before the War: A Diary of Love, Literature, and Growing up in Prewar America because you can see through Joan's eyes as the world slides towards war. There's nothing exciting per say about Joan's life, but it put me in mind of The Diary of a Young Girl as both are young women who record their every day lives as World War II sneaks up on them. Of course, Joan is not Anne Frank in the sense she didn't have to live in hiding nor die in a concentration camp, but the tone of both girls is that of maturity beyond their years as they reflect on the present and the future - and even are prophetess for it.

The highlight of the diary is her October 10th, 1940 essay called To Those of My Time. I got chills reading it as she deftly captures the spirit of The Greatest Generation- those who grew up between the wars, the children of the Lost Generation, beginning in their earliest years of the 20s where there was a sense of living quickly and frantically before it was too late. And then she describes when they did indeed run out of time, how they lived through the Great Depression and watched as the world slid towards madness once again. She has a sense that her generation has grown up to die- and many of them all around the world did.

I would recommend this to those who are familiar with World War II, fellow history enthusiasts, and those who had parents or grandparents growing up in this time. This is a "slice of life" in the years leading to WWII- perhaps not thrilling to the casual reader, but fascinating- and dare I say exciting- to those who, like me, can never get enough of what life was like during the slow march to World War II.
2 people found this helpful
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