The Future Homemakers Of America (2002) - Plot & Excerpts
So. . . I'm not even sure how to write the journal entry on this one. It's interesting what goes through your head as you read each book. It's very Americentric. And there is a lot of stuff in here that's very "military", and some that's very Texas, and some that's very 1952-1980.Another interesting thing, based on the time, is that today was the funeral for Rosa Parks. I wrote a little bit about it in my blog. I happened to read the section of the book, today, after watching the funeral on tv, where one of the kids asks Peggy (the narrator) about black people riding busses. The British friend, Kath, comments about them working on the busses, but riding them? RIP, Rosa Parks.I cried several times reading this book, but I also laughed and smiled. And it gave me a lot of memories, good and bad. My father was in the Air Force for all of my life that I was old enough to remember, so this book was like stepping into a time capsule I was very familiar with. However, a lot of the lives portrayed in this book were more sad than I remember, or at least much more sad than my own experience.I really liked Peggy. I liked her befriending Kath, when stationed in England. I liked her wanting to do something more than just be a DW (Dependant Wife), and I liked how she was such a good friend, a fact that Grice comments on near the end of the book.This book covers so much time, it's amazing. You literally go through a tiny chunk of history while reading it. And of course, it's from a point of view that not many can relate to. I think I'll try to find a copy for my mom and see if she likes it or not.What's interesting to me about the way these friends stay in touch is that my experience with the military is that I don't have any long-time friends. I really didn't keep in touch with them. And these women really did stay together. Or maybe Peggy kept them together, I don't know. But I'm always jealous of people who have known each other since way back when. . .
This is a feel-good book; I've just finished reading it and feel good. The book is narrated by Peggy and is about five women with distinct characters and follows their lives over many decades. I love the idea of women staying in touch with each other having gone their separate ways. But I suppose that the stories of these women are the history of women through the 20th century. From American airforce wives keeping quarters shipshape (!) four of the characters give an exposition of the rise of women from housewives to business women. Even the women who's families are central to their identities manage to build successful careers in one way or another, Graham showing that it is not impossible for women to have both. The impact of the women from the USAF base on the working class, uneducated Englishwoman is wonderful. From learning to drive in a left-hand drive car to owning a driving school for women is inspiring. As Graham takes us at a pace through the 1950s to the 1980s brought back a lot of memories about the times I have lived through. The newspaper cuttings scattered through the book helped too! This book is written with wit, recipes and understanding.
What do You think about The Future Homemakers Of America (2002)?
Chick lit alert! Worse, this is a period piece that focuses on the wives of several Air Force soldiers stationed in England in the 1950's, and follows them from there to States and throughout the rest of the century. I found it readable and entertaining. It was one of those stories that reminded me of how much life has changed for women since the 50's and it was such a pleasure to see these women come alive as they grew from housewives to interested and interesting women with lives and careers of their own. Reminded me of women in my mothers generation and I was happy for them. There were funky little tidbits about how to make tri-colored refrigerator cake using three kinds of jello, a graham cracker crust, and cool whip. OMG--gross, but it did bring back memories of the days of jello deserts.
—Judith
I saved this book for a "beach read" and while it was lighter reading, the author really enriched the book by exploring the ups and downs of female friendship separated by great distances over 40 years. Even though the book begins in England in 1952 and the Air Force was very different then, I could relate to the women's experiences with the military lifestyle also. This book made me think about my own relationships (some of which have already lasted over 30 years!), and how grateful I am to still keep in touch with wonderful women in the military and civilian worlds.
—Rebecca
This book could best be described as a quaint Sunday afternoon movie for middle aged women. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Just an easy read when I was laying sick on my couch.The book centres around four or five women, all wives of Army pilots stationed in England. All the typical characters are present. The beaten wife, the wife on the verge of a divorce, the one who drinks too much, the one who wants heaps of kids, the one who can't get pregnant, the one who is a domestic goddess, the one who cooks from a can. Narrated by one of the women the book spans a generation of relationships, friendships, births, deaths and marriages.
—Cass
