The Girls Next Door: Bringing the Home Front to the Front Lines

by Kara Dixon Vuic

The story of the intrepid young women who volunteered to help and entertain American servicemen fighting overseas, from World War I through the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The emotional toll of war can be as debilitating to soldiers as hunger, disease, and injury. Beginning in World War I, in an effort to boost soldiers’ morale and remind them of the stakes of victory, the American military formalized a recreation program that sent respectable young women and famous entertainers overseas.

Kara Dixon Vuic builds her narrative around the young women from across the United States, many of whom had never traveled far from home, who volunteered to serve in one of the nation’s most brutal work environments. From the “Lassies” in France and mini-skirted coeds in Vietnam to Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe, Vuic provides a fascinating glimpse into wartime gender roles and the tensions that continue to complicate American women’s involvement in the military arena. The recreation-program volunteers heightened the passions of troops but also domesticated everyday life on the bases. Their presence mobilized support for the war back home, while exporting American culture abroad. Carefully recruited and selected as symbols of conventional femininity, these adventurous young women saw in the theater of war a bridge between public service and private ambition.

This story of the women who talked and listened, danced and sang, adds an intimate chapter to the history of war and its ties to life in peacetime.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Womens, United States

392 pages, Hardcover

Published February 4, 2019

About the author

Kara Dixon Vuic is the Benjamin W. Schmidt Professor of War, Conflict, and Society at Texas Christian University. She earned her bachelor's degree at Marshall University and her MA and Ph.D. in history from Indiana University.

Reviews

[Dorothy Haemer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have liked it so much better if it hadn't been written like thesis

[Rebecca Crunden]

⤑ research tag: in an effort to organise my shelves, I'm going to be labelling the books I'm using for study purposes as I tend to dip in and out of these.

[Jo Besser · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this book. This was the first book that I had read and learned about the USO and Red Cross woman from WWI all the way to Vietnam.

It was fascinating what the women had to endure between one war in the next. (Not saying that many women worked in one war and then another. But the progression from one war to the next.) The other interesting points was this was all before sexual harassment was monitored and taken seriously. I hated the idea that many of these young woman got the jobs based on looks. However, it made sense that this happened when their jobs while there were to remind the boys of home.

I also really liked learning about what women of color had to endure while serving. I felt that there was not enough information about them, and I really wanted to learn more about them.

Extremely interesting book, highly recommend if you are wondering about women serving in the USO and Red Cross.

[Heidi Fernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I randomly found this book at my library. I love the idea of learning about something most people don't think about during our wars - the women who served not in the soldier capacity but wanting to contribute by bringing a piece of home to our deployed military. Starting with the Donut Dollies of WW1 who literally served coffee and donuts to troops in combat zones and finishing with recent Middle East conflicts and the women tasked with running the "clubs" to entertain the troops. It was a fascinating insight about how these women joined, created their own jobs, dealt with racism, sexism and staying clear of romances with men who longed for female companionship. Unfortunately, I would have loved this story if it weren't like reading a textbook. Some of the anecdotes were fascinating and I have a whole new respect for these pioneering women.

[Annie Pisarello · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting history of civilian entertainers from WW I to Iraq and Afghanistan. The YMCA, Red Cross and USO all sent over entertainment shows. They also sent young girls to open clubs for the soldiers in an attempt keep them away from local prostitutes. In WW I 30% of the troops had veneral disease and it was affecting combat readiness. By the Vietnam war sexual mores had changed, and that presented a different set of problems for these entertainment girls. Today things are still in flux, but roles have changed significantly. This is an interesting history, but tends to be a long read.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible book that intersects gender history, military history, and foreign relations. The Girls Next Door traces how women’s roles and work in war have evolved significantly since WWI. Highly recommend.

[Heather V · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's was just so boring which made it so hard to read.

[Bonnie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating take on women's role as entertainers and comforters to "the troops."

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Sparks so many thoughts for me!