Switchboard Soldiers
Switchboard Soldiers
Jennifer Chiaverini
Publication Date: July 19, 2022 by William Morrow
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 4 👢👢👢👢
Summary: 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 telephone 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.
Deployed throughout France, including near the front lines, the operators endured hardships and risked death or injury from gunfire, bombardments, and the Spanish Flu. Not all of them 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.
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.
Deployed throughout France, including near the front lines, the operators endured hardships and risked death or injury from gunfire, bombardments, and the Spanish Flu. Not all of them 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.
My Thoughts: There are many reasons why this book stood out to me. Having briefly served in the Signal Corp I naturally gravitated towards the synopsis. The vintage photo on the cover also pulled me in. Having read Chiaverini's previous novel on the Women's March, I was curious to see how she would approach this topic.
This was an event driven book. If you don't like history then this probably isn't the book for you. Chiaverini evidently put a lot of time into researching this one. It was filled with the progression of the war as the US doughboys fought alongside the French to push German troops back into Germany. While none of the characters are true representations of a specific person, the author cleverly used their stories to give readers a more comprehensive overview of the need for the efficiency that the women provided.
Grace with her devotion to duty was determined that she and her fellow operators could and would endure to the very end. She exhibited a softer side through her comradery with the girls and her "friendship" with a certain Cpt. Mack. Marie found a way to continue with her music while also serving her adopted country. She found purpose in the most unimaginable place. Valerie with her honesty, devotion to family, and commitment to service always underestimated herself and her worth. Like so many others, as a first generation immigrant, she wanted to contribute to the salvation of her family's homeland.
This book provides a glimpse into the unacknowledged contributions of women telephone operators in World War I. A notable read.
This was an event driven book. If you don't like history then this probably isn't the book for you. Chiaverini evidently put a lot of time into researching this one. It was filled with the progression of the war as the US doughboys fought alongside the French to push German troops back into Germany. While none of the characters are true representations of a specific person, the author cleverly used their stories to give readers a more comprehensive overview of the need for the efficiency that the women provided.
Grace with her devotion to duty was determined that she and her fellow operators could and would endure to the very end. She exhibited a softer side through her comradery with the girls and her "friendship" with a certain Cpt. Mack. Marie found a way to continue with her music while also serving her adopted country. She found purpose in the most unimaginable place. Valerie with her honesty, devotion to family, and commitment to service always underestimated herself and her worth. Like so many others, as a first generation immigrant, she wanted to contribute to the salvation of her family's homeland.
This book provides a glimpse into the unacknowledged contributions of women telephone operators in World War I. A notable read.
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
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