Switchboard soldiers : a novel
(Book)
Author
Published
New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2022] .
Format
Book
Edition
First edition.
Physical Desc
453 pages ; 24 cm
Status
Description
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Copies
Location | Call Number | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|
Meadville Public Library | Chiaverini, Jennifer | Checked Out | April 29, 2024 |
Subjects
LC Subjects
More Details
Published
New York, NY : William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2022] .
Edition
First edition.
Language
English
Notes
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages [451]-453).
Description
A bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I--the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory. In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet, since the calls often conveyed classified information. At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women--but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them. More than 7,600 women responded, including Grace Banker of New Jersey, a switchboard instructor with AT&T and an alumna of Barnard College; Marie Miossec, a Frenchwoman and aspiring opera singer; and Valerie DeSmedt, a twenty-year-old Pacific Telephone operator from Los Angeles, determined to strike a blow for her native Belgium. They were among the first women sworn into the U.S. Army under the Articles of War. The male soldiers they had replaced had needed one minute to connect each call. The switchboard soldiers could do it in ten seconds. The risk of death was real--the women worked as bombs fell around them--as was the threat of a deadly new disease: the Spanish Flu. Not all of the telephone operators would survive. The women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel...until now.
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Chiaverini, J. (2022). Switchboard soldiers: a novel (First edition.). William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Chiaverini, Jennifer. 2022. Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Chiaverini, Jennifer. Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Chiaverini, Jennifer. Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel First edition., William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2022.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
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