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Mare's War
Meet Mare, a World War II veteran and a grandmother like no other. She was once a willful teenager who escaped her less than perfect life in the deep South and lied about her age to join the African American Battalion of the Women's Army Corps. Now she is driving her granddaughters—two willful teenagers in their own rite—on a cross-country road trip. The girls are initially skeptical of Mare's flippy wigs and stilletos, but they soon find themselves entranced by the story she has to tell, and readers will be too.
Told in alternating chapters, half of which follow Mare through her experiences as a WAC and half of which follow Mare and her granddaughters on the road in the present day, this novel introduces readers to a larger-than-life character and a fascinating chapter in African American history.
Told in alternating chapters, half of which follow Mare through her experiences as a WAC and half of which follow Mare and her granddaughters on the road in the present day, this novel introduces readers to a larger-than-life character and a fascinating chapter in African American history.
352 pages, Paperback
First published June 9, 2009
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September 11, 2011So - another WWII novel - another Girl Book. This one is FANTASTIC. And you know what? It’s a Young Adult novel.
This is the story of a teen, Marey Lee Boylen, who joins the Women’s Army Corps and becomes one of the only group of American black women to be sent to Europe during the war. It’s framed as a road trip that Mare takes with her two teenaged granddaughters some 65 years later (ie, in the present day). So there’s a good amount of comparison between the journey of growth taken by all the young women, present and past.
It’s an exquisite book. The heroism here is quiet, honest, and unsung.
Feen say Aunt Shirley says not to speak to him on the street in public. Folks say it is bad enough that she is colored, but no patriotic American should be seen talking to a Jap. Feen says it don’t make her no difference whatsoever what kind of boy Tommy is. She says next time she sees him, she will buy him a Coke.
This little anecdote is pretty much an aside from the rest of the plot, but I think it represents the whole spirit of the book, filled with people who break the chain, who think for themselves - who change their world through small acts that require huge amounts of courage. Leaving home. Drinking from a forbidden water fountain. Buying a Japanese boy a Coke. And these acts of bravery are passed on down the generations as Mare encourages her granddaughter Octavia to learn to drive.
I also found Mare’s understated but heartfelt observations of wartorn Europe very moving - how everything is represented in little. The French postal assistants who faint because they’re so malnourished; the passers-by frozen in the street as a V1 flying bomb passes overhead, only to laugh at each other when it doesn’t go off nearby.
“Everywhere I am, I’ve got to do the best I can do right while I’m there, you know?”
I’ve come to the conclusion that the rules for accurate detail and good copy editing are more stringent in children’s publishing than they are in the adult world. It’s a bit like hiking. If you are a girl hiking with boys, you have to walk approximately 20 paces ahead to be considered to be keeping up. Likewise, if you are writing for “children,” you have to make sure you are not giving out factual errors. Mare’s War, as far as I can tell or know, reads as though the narrator was really there. But it’s fiction, and historical fiction. It’s not, as far as I know, based on experience. (Although I had to smile when Mare landed in Glasgow, which is where the displaced Calfornian author lives!)
I didn’t trip over anything in this book - I wouldn’t have known where to trip if I did. Mare’s voice was so wholly convincing that I didn’t doubt the authenticity of ANYTHING she said. And I liked the contrast of Mare’s essentially unschooled old-fashioned Southern voice with Octavia’s privileged middle-class modern voice. (And the author pulls it off with the effortless smoothness of Alice Walker.)
Gosh darn it, Tanita S. Davis, you are a genius. I can’t believe you made me CRY REAL TEARS OVER THE DEATH OF FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT.
----------------------------
Also, this is just to say that I think the cover for the paperback is FABULOUS. There is no racial waffling here: this is a BLACK WOMAN on the cover. She is hard and tough, wearing a tin GI’s helmet. She is feminine and beautiful, delicately applying lipstick from a gold tube. The lipstick *lights* her lips, making them glow red, rather than merely adding color to them. Her face is without expression. It is a perfect balance of strength and beauty; race comes into play but is not the focus of the image; it conveys the character of the protagonist AND hints at the plot. I love this cover.
This is the story of a teen, Marey Lee Boylen, who joins the Women’s Army Corps and becomes one of the only group of American black women to be sent to Europe during the war. It’s framed as a road trip that Mare takes with her two teenaged granddaughters some 65 years later (ie, in the present day). So there’s a good amount of comparison between the journey of growth taken by all the young women, present and past.
It’s an exquisite book. The heroism here is quiet, honest, and unsung.
Feen say Aunt Shirley says not to speak to him on the street in public. Folks say it is bad enough that she is colored, but no patriotic American should be seen talking to a Jap. Feen says it don’t make her no difference whatsoever what kind of boy Tommy is. She says next time she sees him, she will buy him a Coke.
This little anecdote is pretty much an aside from the rest of the plot, but I think it represents the whole spirit of the book, filled with people who break the chain, who think for themselves - who change their world through small acts that require huge amounts of courage. Leaving home. Drinking from a forbidden water fountain. Buying a Japanese boy a Coke. And these acts of bravery are passed on down the generations as Mare encourages her granddaughter Octavia to learn to drive.
I also found Mare’s understated but heartfelt observations of wartorn Europe very moving - how everything is represented in little. The French postal assistants who faint because they’re so malnourished; the passers-by frozen in the street as a V1 flying bomb passes overhead, only to laugh at each other when it doesn’t go off nearby.
“Everywhere I am, I’ve got to do the best I can do right while I’m there, you know?”
I’ve come to the conclusion that the rules for accurate detail and good copy editing are more stringent in children’s publishing than they are in the adult world. It’s a bit like hiking. If you are a girl hiking with boys, you have to walk approximately 20 paces ahead to be considered to be keeping up. Likewise, if you are writing for “children,” you have to make sure you are not giving out factual errors. Mare’s War, as far as I can tell or know, reads as though the narrator was really there. But it’s fiction, and historical fiction. It’s not, as far as I know, based on experience. (Although I had to smile when Mare landed in Glasgow, which is where the displaced Calfornian author lives!)
I didn’t trip over anything in this book - I wouldn’t have known where to trip if I did. Mare’s voice was so wholly convincing that I didn’t doubt the authenticity of ANYTHING she said. And I liked the contrast of Mare’s essentially unschooled old-fashioned Southern voice with Octavia’s privileged middle-class modern voice. (And the author pulls it off with the effortless smoothness of Alice Walker.)
Gosh darn it, Tanita S. Davis, you are a genius. I can’t believe you made me CRY REAL TEARS OVER THE DEATH OF FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT.
----------------------------
Also, this is just to say that I think the cover for the paperback is FABULOUS. There is no racial waffling here: this is a BLACK WOMAN on the cover. She is hard and tough, wearing a tin GI’s helmet. She is feminine and beautiful, delicately applying lipstick from a gold tube. The lipstick *lights* her lips, making them glow red, rather than merely adding color to them. Her face is without expression. It is a perfect balance of strength and beauty; race comes into play but is not the focus of the image; it conveys the character of the protagonist AND hints at the plot. I love this cover.
November 8, 2012
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
Going on a road trip with their wacky grandmother, Mare, is not at all how either Octavia or Tali wants to spend their summer. However, at Mare's insistence, they reluctantly agree to accompany her all the way across the country for some mysterious family reunion in Alabama.
The girls don't know how they will survive all of this time cooped up together with each other and with Mare. Before they even leave the driveway, Mare is already driving Tali crazy with her smoking and Tali's headphones are equally unacceptable to Mare. The two make a pact to banish cigarettes and headphones for the trip, and do a pretty good job of keeping their word.
To whittle away the hours as Mare drives, she tells stories of her younger years. Both Tali and Octavia are astonished to hear some of Mare's stories about growing up in the Great Depression and running away from home to serve in the WAC (Women's Army Corps) during World War II. Mare's struggles at home made joining the army seem like a wonderful proposition. The army provided a place to live where she would be safe from harm and fed three good meals a day.
However, even though the WAC helped defeat the enemy in Europe, the segregation that Mare and the colored soldiers in 6888th Battalion, Company C face proves much harder to vanquish. Nevertheless, Mare's tough spirit and pride from her army days will always remain an integral part of who she is. After all she has been through, it is no wonder Mare thinks Octavia and Tali are spoiled.
By the end of this trip, all three women grow closer and develop a newfound appreciation and respect for one another.
Tanita S. Davis weaves a thoughtful tale, alternating chapters between the modern day road trip and Mare's stories of the olden days. Readers who enjoyed Sherri L. Smith's FLYGIRL will also love this tale with a similar historical background.
Going on a road trip with their wacky grandmother, Mare, is not at all how either Octavia or Tali wants to spend their summer. However, at Mare's insistence, they reluctantly agree to accompany her all the way across the country for some mysterious family reunion in Alabama.
The girls don't know how they will survive all of this time cooped up together with each other and with Mare. Before they even leave the driveway, Mare is already driving Tali crazy with her smoking and Tali's headphones are equally unacceptable to Mare. The two make a pact to banish cigarettes and headphones for the trip, and do a pretty good job of keeping their word.
To whittle away the hours as Mare drives, she tells stories of her younger years. Both Tali and Octavia are astonished to hear some of Mare's stories about growing up in the Great Depression and running away from home to serve in the WAC (Women's Army Corps) during World War II. Mare's struggles at home made joining the army seem like a wonderful proposition. The army provided a place to live where she would be safe from harm and fed three good meals a day.
However, even though the WAC helped defeat the enemy in Europe, the segregation that Mare and the colored soldiers in 6888th Battalion, Company C face proves much harder to vanquish. Nevertheless, Mare's tough spirit and pride from her army days will always remain an integral part of who she is. After all she has been through, it is no wonder Mare thinks Octavia and Tali are spoiled.
By the end of this trip, all three women grow closer and develop a newfound appreciation and respect for one another.
Tanita S. Davis weaves a thoughtful tale, alternating chapters between the modern day road trip and Mare's stories of the olden days. Readers who enjoyed Sherri L. Smith's FLYGIRL will also love this tale with a similar historical background.
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June 13, 2009I didn't know a thing about the Women's Army Corps in WWII, let alone the African-American units. Never fear, Mare told me all about it, in an extremely entertaining and honest voice that just makes you want to root for this girl who starts with nothing, and gains a whole new life in the Army.
Here's Mare's arrival to basic training in Des Moines:
"Can't see nothin' of Des Moines, 'cause it is pitch-dark and raining when we arrive. We stand around in the cold, waitin'. After a while, they send trucks for us. The colored girls ride out with the white girls, and the white girls don't complain. Everyone is too tired to care about anything, and at every bump we bump into each other and some girls try to grab on to other. Some girls don't know nothing about riding in a truck."
Is that not wryly funny, achingly true, and wonderfully written?
Here's Mare's arrival to basic training in Des Moines:
"Can't see nothin' of Des Moines, 'cause it is pitch-dark and raining when we arrive. We stand around in the cold, waitin'. After a while, they send trucks for us. The colored girls ride out with the white girls, and the white girls don't complain. Everyone is too tired to care about anything, and at every bump we bump into each other and some girls try to grab on to other. Some girls don't know nothing about riding in a truck."
Is that not wryly funny, achingly true, and wonderfully written?
February 16, 2019
The other day, I was going taking a little walk down memory lane, scrolling through my other blog, The Children's War, and remembering some of the wonderful books I've read for it. Way back in August 2010, I wrote about one of my favorite books, Mare's War, and decided to reread it and share it here.
It begins with a road trip. Sisters Octavia, 15, and Tali, 17, are sure that their summer vacation is absolutely ruined when they are told that they will be accompanying their grandmother to a family reunion. But Ms. Marey Lee Boylen, or Mare as she prefers to be called, is not your average granny: "She wears flippy auburn wigs, stiletto shoes and padded push-up bras." (pg1) She also drives a sporty red car, wears long fake nails and smokes cigarettes. So it only stands to reason that Mare has a story to tell that is also not average.
Before they even leave the driveway, Octavia and Tali are bored and unhappy, bickering with each other and complaining about everything, especially Mare's smoking. So a deal is struck - Mare will keep her cigarettes in her purse and Tali will keep her headphones out of her ears when Mare is speaking.
As they drive along, Mare begins to tell the unhappy girls about growing up black in Bay Slough, Alabama on a farm purchased by her now deceased father, and about her mother and younger sister Josephine (Feen), and their mother's lecherous boyfriend Toby. Mare had always cared for Feen, but after a problem with Toby, Feen is sent to live with an aunt in Philadelphia. Mare realizes the only thing left for her to do is a job cleaning house for a white woman. But it is also 1944 and the country is still at war, so the almost 17-year-old Mare runs away and enlists in the WACS, or Women's Army Corps, lying about her age to get in because you must be 21 to join up. There she meets a variety of young women, forming friendships that will last a lifetime, especially with a fellow WAC named Peaches Carter.
After basic training, the women ship out, first for Birmingham, England and later for Paris, France. They are part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only group of African American women to serve overseas, and whose job it is to sort through warehouses full of letters and packages so that they can be delivered to soldiers at the front.
Mare's War is a journey of growth, revelation and understanding on many levels. The chapters alternate between Now, told by Octavia, and Then, told by Mare, with the past and present narrations separated by a postcard home from one of the girls about how the trip is going, and providing a smooth transition from one time frame to the other. By the end of the novel, all three women are not in the same place they started from and even the family reunions turns out to be something unexpected. And while Mare's story is one of family, loyalty, strength and close friendships, Davis doesn't sugarcoat her novel, but deals with themes such as racism and sexism, which was especially virulent towards black women in the army during WWII.
I loved this novel when I read it back in 2010 and again in 2019. The second reading brought out things I didn't remember, and while Mare's is the central story, I definitely appreciated the girls more this time around and I thought the characterizations of Mare, Tali, and Octavia were absolutely spot on. One of the true marks of good historical fiction is the way the author used her real material, and Davis do a great job of seamlessly weaving in some of the actual experiences of the 6888th with Mare's personal history. She also brought to light another part of African American Women's history too long ignored.
I couldn't recommend this book highly enough in 2010, and stand by that recommendation today.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
It begins with a road trip. Sisters Octavia, 15, and Tali, 17, are sure that their summer vacation is absolutely ruined when they are told that they will be accompanying their grandmother to a family reunion. But Ms. Marey Lee Boylen, or Mare as she prefers to be called, is not your average granny: "She wears flippy auburn wigs, stiletto shoes and padded push-up bras." (pg1) She also drives a sporty red car, wears long fake nails and smokes cigarettes. So it only stands to reason that Mare has a story to tell that is also not average.
Before they even leave the driveway, Octavia and Tali are bored and unhappy, bickering with each other and complaining about everything, especially Mare's smoking. So a deal is struck - Mare will keep her cigarettes in her purse and Tali will keep her headphones out of her ears when Mare is speaking.
As they drive along, Mare begins to tell the unhappy girls about growing up black in Bay Slough, Alabama on a farm purchased by her now deceased father, and about her mother and younger sister Josephine (Feen), and their mother's lecherous boyfriend Toby. Mare had always cared for Feen, but after a problem with Toby, Feen is sent to live with an aunt in Philadelphia. Mare realizes the only thing left for her to do is a job cleaning house for a white woman. But it is also 1944 and the country is still at war, so the almost 17-year-old Mare runs away and enlists in the WACS, or Women's Army Corps, lying about her age to get in because you must be 21 to join up. There she meets a variety of young women, forming friendships that will last a lifetime, especially with a fellow WAC named Peaches Carter.
After basic training, the women ship out, first for Birmingham, England and later for Paris, France. They are part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only group of African American women to serve overseas, and whose job it is to sort through warehouses full of letters and packages so that they can be delivered to soldiers at the front.
Mare's War is a journey of growth, revelation and understanding on many levels. The chapters alternate between Now, told by Octavia, and Then, told by Mare, with the past and present narrations separated by a postcard home from one of the girls about how the trip is going, and providing a smooth transition from one time frame to the other. By the end of the novel, all three women are not in the same place they started from and even the family reunions turns out to be something unexpected. And while Mare's story is one of family, loyalty, strength and close friendships, Davis doesn't sugarcoat her novel, but deals with themes such as racism and sexism, which was especially virulent towards black women in the army during WWII.
I loved this novel when I read it back in 2010 and again in 2019. The second reading brought out things I didn't remember, and while Mare's is the central story, I definitely appreciated the girls more this time around and I thought the characterizations of Mare, Tali, and Octavia were absolutely spot on. One of the true marks of good historical fiction is the way the author used her real material, and Davis do a great job of seamlessly weaving in some of the actual experiences of the 6888th with Mare's personal history. She also brought to light another part of African American Women's history too long ignored.
I couldn't recommend this book highly enough in 2010, and stand by that recommendation today.
This book is recommended for readers age 12+
August 7, 2015
Octavia and Tali are being forced to take a cross-country road trip with their grandmother called Mare to a family reunion. Mare doesn't look or act anything like what you would expect of a grandmother, not by a long shot. For one thing, she drives a red sports car and wears stilettos. The two teens learn that there's a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to their grandmother. They realize that she was once a willful teen who fled from her less-than-perfect home to join the African American battalion of the Women’s Army Corps during World War II.
I heard about this book a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed to read it. I've always been interested in women in WWII, but I hadn't had the chance to read much about African-American women doing their part. Mare's War is definitely a good place to start if you're looking for a YA fiction novel on the topic. The novel is told in alternating "then" and "now" chapters - then being Mare's story of growing up and joining the war effort, and now being the cross-country car trip with Mare, Octavia, and Tali.
As for the now segments, the characterizations of Mare, Tali, and Octavia are fantastic. I particularly enjoyed seeing the differences in mindset between Mare and Tali and seeing all three of them get closer through storytelling. As much as I liked the portion of the story set in the present day, I found myself most interested in Mare's story of WWII. Like I mentioned before, though, I've always been interested in the topic of women in WWII. After finishing this novel, I wouldn't say no to it even if it just featured Mare's past.
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis is a must-read if you're interested in women's efforts during World War II, especially in learning more about women-of-color.
I heard about this book a couple of weeks ago and decided I needed to read it. I've always been interested in women in WWII, but I hadn't had the chance to read much about African-American women doing their part. Mare's War is definitely a good place to start if you're looking for a YA fiction novel on the topic. The novel is told in alternating "then" and "now" chapters - then being Mare's story of growing up and joining the war effort, and now being the cross-country car trip with Mare, Octavia, and Tali.
As for the now segments, the characterizations of Mare, Tali, and Octavia are fantastic. I particularly enjoyed seeing the differences in mindset between Mare and Tali and seeing all three of them get closer through storytelling. As much as I liked the portion of the story set in the present day, I found myself most interested in Mare's story of WWII. Like I mentioned before, though, I've always been interested in the topic of women in WWII. After finishing this novel, I wouldn't say no to it even if it just featured Mare's past.
Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis is a must-read if you're interested in women's efforts during World War II, especially in learning more about women-of-color.
February 10, 2017
Marey Lee Boylen from Bay Slough Alabama was going nowhere fast. Her father was dead and she had to drop out of school to work and help her mother make ends meet. And then there was the tending to her sister, Josephine. When her mother sends Josephine off to Philadelphia to help her aunt, Marey sees a way out. She leaves home to join the Women's Army Corps. Will she be sent home because she is not of age? Will her mother ever forgive her for leaving without word or permission?
First off, I knew nothing of the WAC (Women's Army Corps). I, of course, did an internet search and am amazed at the information I found. Most would chalk their experience up to non combative, however, they had to deal with bomb raids, blackouts and rations just like everyone else.
In Mare's War, Marey is fighting four different wars. One is against fascism when fighting the Germans and Japanese during World War II. To keep morale up for the troops, Mare, as her comrades call her, and the six triple eights are assigned postal duties. Mail from home keeps the men's spirits up. They are also there to free up another man to fight. Postal work is one less duty that an able body man has to do. He is able to go to the front and defend democracy.
The next war is that of racism. Although they are soldiers, they still have to adhere to Jim Crow. When they arrive at one camp in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, there are signs present; At Fort Des Moinse, we were segregated, sure, but not like this. At Fort Oglethorpe, there are signs - Colored Drinking Fountain and White Drinking Fountain; Colored Latrine and White Latrine...Those signs make me feel unwelcome, but we don't have much time to think about it.. Not only that, but they are chased and attacked by fellow soldiers in the U.K. even though they are fighting on the same side "Yeah, you better run, you uppity nigra...We strung up a big ugly nigra like you back home."
The other war she is fighting is with her mother. It is a silent battle because her mother refuses to write to her, even though Mare is sending money home to assist her mother. She is afraid for her sister who is in a big city and is helpless to help her if and when she calls. But every step she makes, she does it for her sister. And even though the battle in Europe is not over, she is trying to design a plan that will benefit her and her sister when she leaves the army.
The final war is in the present and it is the battle to connect with her grandchildren. They think their grandmother is eccentric, but they have never heard her story of how she came to be the person that she is. As they travel from California to Alabama, making stops in Arizona, Texas and Louisiana, they begin to learn more about Mare and are impressed and shocked at how she overcame so much at such a young age.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. I like the fact that there is a historical connection and it made me want to find out more information about the WAC 6888th. If you want to know more about African American women's contribution to the war front, I suggest reading Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II. It will make a good foundation for you to build on.
First off, I knew nothing of the WAC (Women's Army Corps). I, of course, did an internet search and am amazed at the information I found. Most would chalk their experience up to non combative, however, they had to deal with bomb raids, blackouts and rations just like everyone else.
In Mare's War, Marey is fighting four different wars. One is against fascism when fighting the Germans and Japanese during World War II. To keep morale up for the troops, Mare, as her comrades call her, and the six triple eights are assigned postal duties. Mail from home keeps the men's spirits up. They are also there to free up another man to fight. Postal work is one less duty that an able body man has to do. He is able to go to the front and defend democracy.
The next war is that of racism. Although they are soldiers, they still have to adhere to Jim Crow. When they arrive at one camp in Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, there are signs present; At Fort Des Moinse, we were segregated, sure, but not like this. At Fort Oglethorpe, there are signs - Colored Drinking Fountain and White Drinking Fountain; Colored Latrine and White Latrine...Those signs make me feel unwelcome, but we don't have much time to think about it.. Not only that, but they are chased and attacked by fellow soldiers in the U.K. even though they are fighting on the same side "Yeah, you better run, you uppity nigra...We strung up a big ugly nigra like you back home."
The other war she is fighting is with her mother. It is a silent battle because her mother refuses to write to her, even though Mare is sending money home to assist her mother. She is afraid for her sister who is in a big city and is helpless to help her if and when she calls. But every step she makes, she does it for her sister. And even though the battle in Europe is not over, she is trying to design a plan that will benefit her and her sister when she leaves the army.
The final war is in the present and it is the battle to connect with her grandchildren. They think their grandmother is eccentric, but they have never heard her story of how she came to be the person that she is. As they travel from California to Alabama, making stops in Arizona, Texas and Louisiana, they begin to learn more about Mare and are impressed and shocked at how she overcame so much at such a young age.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. I like the fact that there is a historical connection and it made me want to find out more information about the WAC 6888th. If you want to know more about African American women's contribution to the war front, I suggest reading Double Victory: How African American Women Broke Race and Gender Barriers to Help Win World War II. It will make a good foundation for you to build on.
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April 12, 2021
Trigger Warnings: child abuse, sexual assault of a child, sexual harassment, assault, racism, war
This was both delightful and painful, all at once, and definitely a book to read if you want to read WWII historical fiction.
Full RTC.
This was both delightful and painful, all at once, and definitely a book to read if you want to read WWII historical fiction.
Full RTC.
June 11, 2009
This is a fun book so far but I can’t find it to finish it. I was really liking it and then lost my ARC?!
Spitfire grandma that served in WWII takes 2 typical upper middle class American teens on a road trip and tells about the realities of her past. She covers things like racism (they are black), homophobia, rape, poverty, intense family dynamics, etc. The girls and the grandma all learn are all learning more about each other but in a realistic not "road trip movie" way. I specifically love how the grandma is matter of fact about some intense issues. Her treatment of life's difficulties is also realistic for her age/generation as is the horror and confusion that her granddaughters react with. For example, when the grandma describes a scene where she protects her younger sister from rape by the hand of their mother's boyfriend.
Another thing I like is the strength of the grandma. She has a lot in life that could have beaten her down, extreme poverty, being a women of color during the depression, her mother being a drunk, and more but she preservers and not in a preachy way. She is brave, smart impetuous, hard working, and a lot desperate and so survives. I think our culture is so controlled that it is refreshing to think about a time when people could survive by being a little crazy, lucky, and determined.
I have 1 quibble with language occasionally the grandma repeats things 3 times and it is an irritating not endearing quirk. There are a few other times when I think the dialogue seems a bit awkward but other than that a great read.
Spitfire grandma that served in WWII takes 2 typical upper middle class American teens on a road trip and tells about the realities of her past. She covers things like racism (they are black), homophobia, rape, poverty, intense family dynamics, etc. The girls and the grandma all learn are all learning more about each other but in a realistic not "road trip movie" way. I specifically love how the grandma is matter of fact about some intense issues. Her treatment of life's difficulties is also realistic for her age/generation as is the horror and confusion that her granddaughters react with. For example, when the grandma describes a scene where she protects her younger sister from rape by the hand of their mother's boyfriend.
Another thing I like is the strength of the grandma. She has a lot in life that could have beaten her down, extreme poverty, being a women of color during the depression, her mother being a drunk, and more but she preservers and not in a preachy way. She is brave, smart impetuous, hard working, and a lot desperate and so survives. I think our culture is so controlled that it is refreshing to think about a time when people could survive by being a little crazy, lucky, and determined.
I have 1 quibble with language occasionally the grandma repeats things 3 times and it is an irritating not endearing quirk. There are a few other times when I think the dialogue seems a bit awkward but other than that a great read.
January 23, 2010
I went back & forth between giving this a 3 or a 4. In the end, I decided that the writing wasn't strong enough for a 3. It kind of made me wonder about the Coretta Scott King Award criteria, since this was the winner for text in 2010. It's a compelling story with a likeable heroine, and very good in the way the story moves from 1945 to 2009 (the heroine is going on a trip with her 2 granddaughters in present-day).
What I didn't like was how the author held back in sharing Mare's story after WW2. That part of the book was not done justice and felt very rushed. My guess is that she's going to do another book with Mare and her granddaughters? And the section in the graveyard (w/ her mother's grave) also felt tacked on and not a real resolution or conclusion. Finally, the author doesn't make clear whether Aunt Feen is alive or dead--the reader (well, I did this) thinks they're all going to meet Feen, and that this will happen in Alabama. But in Alabama, they go to the graveyard, and then Mare decides she wants to take the girls to Tallahassee, FL. Huh?
For a story this big, I felt that the author didn't do justice to the end. So because the end was not masterfully done, it gets a 3. I would be curious to hear what the Newbery Committee thought of this book, because I'm sure they read it in 2009.
What I didn't like was how the author held back in sharing Mare's story after WW2. That part of the book was not done justice and felt very rushed. My guess is that she's going to do another book with Mare and her granddaughters? And the section in the graveyard (w/ her mother's grave) also felt tacked on and not a real resolution or conclusion. Finally, the author doesn't make clear whether Aunt Feen is alive or dead--the reader (well, I did this) thinks they're all going to meet Feen, and that this will happen in Alabama. But in Alabama, they go to the graveyard, and then Mare decides she wants to take the girls to Tallahassee, FL. Huh?
For a story this big, I felt that the author didn't do justice to the end. So because the end was not masterfully done, it gets a 3. I would be curious to hear what the Newbery Committee thought of this book, because I'm sure they read it in 2009.
February 13, 2017
I really enjoyed this. Both the current storyline on the road trip and the past storyline in WWII were compelling, and all the characters were great.
December 17, 2009
So, more like 2.75. I couldn't get engaged with it as I wished but if I were a teen, I'd have loved it. I felt with this one like I did with Laurie Halse Anderson's "Chains" -- not enough patience as an adult but one in which I'd be utterly captivated when I was younger.
That said, I felt Mare's narrative was SO much more interesting than the kids. I also found a few weird editing issues while reading - I'd see missing articles here and there (pressed to find one now, I can't!). Nothing big but enough to notice. An interesting look at how black females played a role in World War II and the era between the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement. Also a nice shout out to Claudette Colvin, which was very cool to read after reading Hoose's "Twice Toward Justice."
That said, I felt Mare's narrative was SO much more interesting than the kids. I also found a few weird editing issues while reading - I'd see missing articles here and there (pressed to find one now, I can't!). Nothing big but enough to notice. An interesting look at how black females played a role in World War II and the era between the Harlem Renaissance and the Civil Rights movement. Also a nice shout out to Claudette Colvin, which was very cool to read after reading Hoose's "Twice Toward Justice."
July 26, 2009
There is so much I admire in this novel. Mare's voice is real and vivid (strong, strong prose, with human breath in it), and the history she narrates is fascinating and grounded so well in her personal struggles. I loved the details of Mare's life in Bay Slough, her service in the WAC, the routine and the uniforms and the complicated camaraderie with her fellow soldiers. Is it wrong to complain that it ended? Because I will. I will complain that it ended. I'd just like to request an entire book on what happened after the war. And an entire book on Feen. Tanita, are you listening?
July 30, 2009
Great storytelling. Love the alternating narration, the moving from past to present. The characters are relatable, fully developed, memorable. History lesson that feels more like a leisure fun drive rather than the required curriculum- oh but this is the kind of history that's usually missing in our textbooks.
February 12, 2015
This book was pretty good. I loved the twist and multiple perspectives. The story is told through the perspectives of two people. Both are main characters. Mare and Octavia. Mare was a Wac postwoman in WW2 and Octavia is Mare's granddaughter.(so is Tali.) But anyways, I would recommend this book to anyone seeking a story about World War 2.
June 28, 2019
I read this book for the ATY 2019 Reading Challenge Week 6: a dual timeline.
How many wars did Mare fight? Which impacted her life the most? Why does she take her grandchildren to the last battle? I enjoyed hearing Mare's stories about World War II and the involvement of the WACs in the war. Her grandchildren are given a rare peek at their grandmother as a young woman. The thing that disturbed me and Mare the most about the whole situation is relevant today for people of color. What do you think it is?
How many wars did Mare fight? Which impacted her life the most? Why does she take her grandchildren to the last battle? I enjoyed hearing Mare's stories about World War II and the involvement of the WACs in the war. Her grandchildren are given a rare peek at their grandmother as a young woman. The thing that disturbed me and Mare the most about the whole situation is relevant today for people of color. What do you think it is?
May 1, 2021
That was pretty good. I definitely enjoyed it, and I was going back and forth between 3 and 4 stars for a hot minute. But, ultimately, I settled on 3. It had a strong beginning, but the ending seemed a little rushed. And I definitely liked the past storyline more than the present one, but that might just be a personal preference. All in all, it was a pretty fun and easy read.
April 2, 2019
This was such a goood book!!! I loved the way that it was written, and I loved the perspective that it was written from!
August 1, 2019
This was a really informative book about the role that Black Women played in the military during WWII. I think it would be an excellent supplement to WWII studies.
Read
April 3, 2015The week I read this was kind of busy so my reading stretched out over almost five days. And I’m really glad it did. This was a great book to savor.
The story alternates between the road trip and Mare’s time in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and that structure was really compelling. First, you see Mare as a young, more naive woman and as a more mature woman. Davis did a phenomenal job keeping her consistent across the time, but giving grandmother Mare more world knowledge and just a generally more mature outlook on life. It was also very interesting to see the parallels between Tali and Octavia and Mare, both in their personalities and in their stories. You can really see two sides of Mare in the girls, which isn’t to say they are less complex, just that they are clearly family.
The theme of family, a common one in books for this age group, is very strong. The girls are building a relationship with Mare that they never had and are learning that she’s more than just their grandmother and their father’s mother. She had an impressive and difficult life prior to that (and even during that). They think she’s a bit eccentric, but come to realize that it stems in part from her childhood and adolescence. Mare knows how to live and knows how to appreciate the time she’s given. Her family was rather dysfunctional growing up. Her widowed mother had a series of bad boyfriends, including one that molested Mare and her sister and then beat Mare nearly to death when she got in his way. When her sister was sent away to live with a relative, Mare ran off to join the WAC. With the exception of her sister Mare doesn’t feel much like she has family. Her mother refuses to speak to her after the incident with the boyfriend and Mare struggles to not feel gutted by her mother’s silence, both while she’s still home and after she leaves. The WAC, however, provides her with girls who become her family. They endure their training, homesickness, and good times together and it builds a very strong bond.
The theme of finding yourself and your inner strength was also strong in both story lines. Octavia is overly cautious and also insecure. The road trip puts her out of her element, but makes her confront some of her fear and learn that she can push through the uncomfortable parts. It isn’t a cure-all though and she’s clearly still working on coming into her own. Tali also learns some valuable lessons about how far she can push boundaries and that when she pushes too far it doesn’t feel right to upset, hurt, and disappoint people she loves. Mare’s story shows her development from a passive, but determined young girl to a woman who knows how to be independent and that she has reserves of strength (mental and physical) that she never knew she had. Her story also teaches the girls some valuable lessons without feeling didactic. (It runs chronologically with little left out or glossed over, not like pieces of story chosen to highlight a specific lesson.) The interplay between the present and past is really well done.
I also appreciated that things don’t turn out perfectly in the end. The girls still bicker, they still have their quirks and insecurities. Mare is still a little weird and distant. But they have grown through being together and through Mare’s history. Mare by sharing it and reliving it. The girls by hearing it and taking away lessons from it.
I was surprised, as was Octavia, to learn more about women’s, especially African American women’s, contributions and participation in WWII. I will almost never read WWII books. I think it’s over done and don’t find the time period terribly interesting. However I make exceptions for these types of stories that tackle it from angles that we don’t usually hear about. I really enjoyed Mare’s story about leaving home and ultimately shipping over to Europe (Scotland, England, then France) which would have been quite the experience for many of those girls.
Heads up, Mare calls the Japanese Japs and Italians Dagos. It’s definitely the right terminology in the 1940s story, but if that’s a trigger for you or your students be aware that it’s in there. At the very least it should open up a discussion about racial slurs and how people used to use them, but we don’t anymore.
It’s definitely a book for middle school kids, but I would think fifth grade could handle it. There isn’t any sex or violence, but one of Mare’s mother’s boyfriends is molesting her younger sister and tries to make a few passes at Mare. Mare does defend her and her sister one night, but the scene isn’t graphic, just jarring. For anyone who loved this pick up a copy of Flygirl by Sherri Smith which was also fabulous and about the WAC. That story looks at girls stateside and at passing as white.
The story alternates between the road trip and Mare’s time in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) and that structure was really compelling. First, you see Mare as a young, more naive woman and as a more mature woman. Davis did a phenomenal job keeping her consistent across the time, but giving grandmother Mare more world knowledge and just a generally more mature outlook on life. It was also very interesting to see the parallels between Tali and Octavia and Mare, both in their personalities and in their stories. You can really see two sides of Mare in the girls, which isn’t to say they are less complex, just that they are clearly family.
The theme of family, a common one in books for this age group, is very strong. The girls are building a relationship with Mare that they never had and are learning that she’s more than just their grandmother and their father’s mother. She had an impressive and difficult life prior to that (and even during that). They think she’s a bit eccentric, but come to realize that it stems in part from her childhood and adolescence. Mare knows how to live and knows how to appreciate the time she’s given. Her family was rather dysfunctional growing up. Her widowed mother had a series of bad boyfriends, including one that molested Mare and her sister and then beat Mare nearly to death when she got in his way. When her sister was sent away to live with a relative, Mare ran off to join the WAC. With the exception of her sister Mare doesn’t feel much like she has family. Her mother refuses to speak to her after the incident with the boyfriend and Mare struggles to not feel gutted by her mother’s silence, both while she’s still home and after she leaves. The WAC, however, provides her with girls who become her family. They endure their training, homesickness, and good times together and it builds a very strong bond.
The theme of finding yourself and your inner strength was also strong in both story lines. Octavia is overly cautious and also insecure. The road trip puts her out of her element, but makes her confront some of her fear and learn that she can push through the uncomfortable parts. It isn’t a cure-all though and she’s clearly still working on coming into her own. Tali also learns some valuable lessons about how far she can push boundaries and that when she pushes too far it doesn’t feel right to upset, hurt, and disappoint people she loves. Mare’s story shows her development from a passive, but determined young girl to a woman who knows how to be independent and that she has reserves of strength (mental and physical) that she never knew she had. Her story also teaches the girls some valuable lessons without feeling didactic. (It runs chronologically with little left out or glossed over, not like pieces of story chosen to highlight a specific lesson.) The interplay between the present and past is really well done.
I also appreciated that things don’t turn out perfectly in the end. The girls still bicker, they still have their quirks and insecurities. Mare is still a little weird and distant. But they have grown through being together and through Mare’s history. Mare by sharing it and reliving it. The girls by hearing it and taking away lessons from it.
I was surprised, as was Octavia, to learn more about women’s, especially African American women’s, contributions and participation in WWII. I will almost never read WWII books. I think it’s over done and don’t find the time period terribly interesting. However I make exceptions for these types of stories that tackle it from angles that we don’t usually hear about. I really enjoyed Mare’s story about leaving home and ultimately shipping over to Europe (Scotland, England, then France) which would have been quite the experience for many of those girls.
Heads up, Mare calls the Japanese Japs and Italians Dagos. It’s definitely the right terminology in the 1940s story, but if that’s a trigger for you or your students be aware that it’s in there. At the very least it should open up a discussion about racial slurs and how people used to use them, but we don’t anymore.
It’s definitely a book for middle school kids, but I would think fifth grade could handle it. There isn’t any sex or violence, but one of Mare’s mother’s boyfriends is molesting her younger sister and tries to make a few passes at Mare. Mare does defend her and her sister one night, but the scene isn’t graphic, just jarring. For anyone who loved this pick up a copy of Flygirl by Sherri Smith which was also fabulous and about the WAC. That story looks at girls stateside and at passing as white.
August 13, 2016
Recap:
Octavia and Tali may not realize it yet, but Mare didn't used to be anybody's grandmother.
Spending the summer on a cross-country road trip in Mare's little red sports car should have made for the most boring summer of their lives. But both girls are in for a few surprises. Before this trip is over, Octavia and Tali are going to get a whole new perspective on their grandma, their own family, and their country.
Review:
Holy smokes, I could not have chosen a better book to kick off my BHM reading challenge!
I've always wanted to read Mare's War because I L.O.V.E. that cover. The original cover (below) is just fine, and reflects a little bit more of the story, but the paperback cover... wow. That is one gorgeous, powerful image! For more information on the cover, check out this post and this post from thatcovergirl.
Author Tanita S. Davis used one of my favorite techniques to tell the story of Mare's War: duel narrators. Octavia, the younger granddaughter, narrates the chapters titled "Now," giving us the scoop as their road trip progresses, and reacting to Mare's narrative, titled "Then." Octavia and her older sister Tali's commentary certainly wasn't the real meat of the story, but their present-day relationship created an interesting parallel alongside Mare's remembrances of her own relationship with her little sister Feen. The presence of the two girls also helped to flesh out the image of Mare as a grandmother:
"Mare mutters something under her breath and turns toward Tali. Tilting down her enormous sunglasses, she stares down at my sister.'Talitha, you're not going to be a pain in my behind this whole trip, are you?'"
Love that woman. Mare's chapters were by far my favorite. Beginning her narrative at home in Bay Slough, Alabama, and then moving on to her time in the Women's Army Corps (WAC), Mare proves over and over again that she is simultaneously soft-hearted and tough as nails.
Although her story is deeply personal, it is also an eye-opening look at a rarely told piece of our country's history: the role that African Americans, particularly women, played during World War II. At one point Octavia voices a sentiment that I believe many readers would share:
"'So, Mare. Weren't there any other African Americans overseas?' ...'Sure there were - but they were male soldiers. Something like one point two million African Americans fought during World War II. They sent a lot of us overseas. I'd say almost fifty thousand.' ...I can't believe my teachers never mentioned this....'But it's history,' I insist. 'Shouldn't people tell you about history?''It's there if you know where to look, but the colored WACs are also part of segregation history,' Mare reminds me. 'Talking about segregation isn't as nice and neat as talking about being the 'greatest generation' that won the war. For some folks, it's just stirring up bad memories.'"
The ending is somewhat surprising, and deeply satisfying. My biggest disappointment concerning Mare's War is not reading it earlier, because I would have prized the opportunity to read this skillfully written novel with my students.
Recommendation:
Read Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis! Especially if you...
- appreciate historical fiction
- value a new perspective
- are a teacher looking for a class novel that will enliven and enrich class discussions
Suggested Book Pairing:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. This nonfiction text is phenomenal, and Ms. Colvin gets a shout-out in Mare's story!
Octavia and Tali may not realize it yet, but Mare didn't used to be anybody's grandmother.
Spending the summer on a cross-country road trip in Mare's little red sports car should have made for the most boring summer of their lives. But both girls are in for a few surprises. Before this trip is over, Octavia and Tali are going to get a whole new perspective on their grandma, their own family, and their country.
Review:
Holy smokes, I could not have chosen a better book to kick off my BHM reading challenge!
I've always wanted to read Mare's War because I L.O.V.E. that cover. The original cover (below) is just fine, and reflects a little bit more of the story, but the paperback cover... wow. That is one gorgeous, powerful image! For more information on the cover, check out this post and this post from thatcovergirl.
Author Tanita S. Davis used one of my favorite techniques to tell the story of Mare's War: duel narrators. Octavia, the younger granddaughter, narrates the chapters titled "Now," giving us the scoop as their road trip progresses, and reacting to Mare's narrative, titled "Then." Octavia and her older sister Tali's commentary certainly wasn't the real meat of the story, but their present-day relationship created an interesting parallel alongside Mare's remembrances of her own relationship with her little sister Feen. The presence of the two girls also helped to flesh out the image of Mare as a grandmother:
"Mare mutters something under her breath and turns toward Tali. Tilting down her enormous sunglasses, she stares down at my sister.'Talitha, you're not going to be a pain in my behind this whole trip, are you?'"
Love that woman. Mare's chapters were by far my favorite. Beginning her narrative at home in Bay Slough, Alabama, and then moving on to her time in the Women's Army Corps (WAC), Mare proves over and over again that she is simultaneously soft-hearted and tough as nails.
Although her story is deeply personal, it is also an eye-opening look at a rarely told piece of our country's history: the role that African Americans, particularly women, played during World War II. At one point Octavia voices a sentiment that I believe many readers would share:
"'So, Mare. Weren't there any other African Americans overseas?' ...'Sure there were - but they were male soldiers. Something like one point two million African Americans fought during World War II. They sent a lot of us overseas. I'd say almost fifty thousand.' ...I can't believe my teachers never mentioned this....'But it's history,' I insist. 'Shouldn't people tell you about history?''It's there if you know where to look, but the colored WACs are also part of segregation history,' Mare reminds me. 'Talking about segregation isn't as nice and neat as talking about being the 'greatest generation' that won the war. For some folks, it's just stirring up bad memories.'"
The ending is somewhat surprising, and deeply satisfying. My biggest disappointment concerning Mare's War is not reading it earlier, because I would have prized the opportunity to read this skillfully written novel with my students.
Recommendation:
Read Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis! Especially if you...
- appreciate historical fiction
- value a new perspective
- are a teacher looking for a class novel that will enliven and enrich class discussions
Suggested Book Pairing:
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. This nonfiction text is phenomenal, and Ms. Colvin gets a shout-out in Mare's story!
March 11, 2012
Originally posted here.
How much do you know about African American women serving in the Women's Army Corp during World War II? Or really the Women's Army Corp in general? I'm not going to lie despite taking two classes on the second world war in college my knowledge of both is pretty slim. In Mare's War Tanita Davis has given us a peak inside this small part of the fighting force and woven it into a greater story of family and relationship.
The story is told in alternating points of view jumping from present to past. The present parts are first person from the voice of Octavia and the past are first person from the voice of Mare. The contrast between the two tells as great a story as the past glimpses into army life for African American women during the war. Octavia and Tali live a far easier life, this side of the civil rights movement, and the Great Depression. Their grandmother frequently tells them they are spoiled and listening to her story they begin to see why she would think so. The themes of family, relationships, generational conflict, and disdain for our own history are all explored through the contrast. While a very interesting story could have been told through the WWII era bits alone, a greater and far more interesting one is told combining the two.
I enjoyed all three characters, their different personalities, and journeys. It is clear that Tali is very much like her grandmother, Mare, in personality but they have been shaped differently by the circumstances in their lives. Mare is most definitely the star of this book as she appears in both sections and putting the details of her current life we are given with the story from the past is fascinating. Octavia was a more difficult character for me to see fully and she felt more like a vehicle for telling the story of modern day Mare and her sister.
This is a slow paced book, a book more about the journey than the destination, but it is an engrossing read. The history is fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the parts in Europe and the comparison between how the women were treated there and here. The modern parts are amusing and I can see modern day teens definitely relating to Tali and Octavia.
How much do you know about African American women serving in the Women's Army Corp during World War II? Or really the Women's Army Corp in general? I'm not going to lie despite taking two classes on the second world war in college my knowledge of both is pretty slim. In Mare's War Tanita Davis has given us a peak inside this small part of the fighting force and woven it into a greater story of family and relationship.
The story is told in alternating points of view jumping from present to past. The present parts are first person from the voice of Octavia and the past are first person from the voice of Mare. The contrast between the two tells as great a story as the past glimpses into army life for African American women during the war. Octavia and Tali live a far easier life, this side of the civil rights movement, and the Great Depression. Their grandmother frequently tells them they are spoiled and listening to her story they begin to see why she would think so. The themes of family, relationships, generational conflict, and disdain for our own history are all explored through the contrast. While a very interesting story could have been told through the WWII era bits alone, a greater and far more interesting one is told combining the two.
I enjoyed all three characters, their different personalities, and journeys. It is clear that Tali is very much like her grandmother, Mare, in personality but they have been shaped differently by the circumstances in their lives. Mare is most definitely the star of this book as she appears in both sections and putting the details of her current life we are given with the story from the past is fascinating. Octavia was a more difficult character for me to see fully and she felt more like a vehicle for telling the story of modern day Mare and her sister.
This is a slow paced book, a book more about the journey than the destination, but it is an engrossing read. The history is fascinating. I particularly enjoyed the parts in Europe and the comparison between how the women were treated there and here. The modern parts are amusing and I can see modern day teens definitely relating to Tali and Octavia.
July 16, 2010
I can sum up my feelings for this book thusly: Eh.
It's a light, easy read despite the occasionally heavy subject matter. However, the characterization didn't work for me. I didn't see the point in including snippets from the granddaughter's point of view. To me, they added nothing to the story and only distracted from the main narrative. Then, I grew bored quickly with the heroine because she doesn't change. She's a hardheaded take-charge person from the outset, and her army experience doesn't change her but rather allows her to channel her abilities. She wasn't engaging enough to hide this flaw.
The story itself reads like the author had a ton of historical details she wanted to share and created a plot to convey them. We hear about racism and segregation, we see what it was like to be a WAC during World War II. However, the author passively remains in this illustrative vein all through the book. Perhaps that would work for younger readers (age 10-12), but an early scene in which the heroine's mother's boyfriend (did you get that?) tries to rape the heroine and her younger sister and winds up on the losing end of the heroine's axe and the mother's shotgun, would certainly make me think twice about recommending the book to that age group. Because of the pedestrian plot and low reading level, I wouldn't recommend the book to older teens.
One point that did make me happy was the portrayal of discrimination against lesbians at this time in history. That's still a topic we don't explore in literature usually, perhaps because we're focused on the discrimination that goes on today. I think the author was right to include the perception of women in the army as "mannish" and lesbian, and the commonly-held belief that army women would be prey to the advances of army men, when the two sexes were segregated at that time.
Recommend to: Age 13-15, history buffs, lower-level readers, kids who need strong female role models
Don't recommend to: Anyone who likes action in their military stories...or action in their any kind of story, for that matter
It's a light, easy read despite the occasionally heavy subject matter. However, the characterization didn't work for me. I didn't see the point in including snippets from the granddaughter's point of view. To me, they added nothing to the story and only distracted from the main narrative. Then, I grew bored quickly with the heroine because she doesn't change. She's a hardheaded take-charge person from the outset, and her army experience doesn't change her but rather allows her to channel her abilities. She wasn't engaging enough to hide this flaw.
The story itself reads like the author had a ton of historical details she wanted to share and created a plot to convey them. We hear about racism and segregation, we see what it was like to be a WAC during World War II. However, the author passively remains in this illustrative vein all through the book. Perhaps that would work for younger readers (age 10-12), but an early scene in which the heroine's mother's boyfriend (did you get that?) tries to rape the heroine and her younger sister and winds up on the losing end of the heroine's axe and the mother's shotgun, would certainly make me think twice about recommending the book to that age group. Because of the pedestrian plot and low reading level, I wouldn't recommend the book to older teens.
One point that did make me happy was the portrayal of discrimination against lesbians at this time in history. That's still a topic we don't explore in literature usually, perhaps because we're focused on the discrimination that goes on today. I think the author was right to include the perception of women in the army as "mannish" and lesbian, and the commonly-held belief that army women would be prey to the advances of army men, when the two sexes were segregated at that time.
Recommend to: Age 13-15, history buffs, lower-level readers, kids who need strong female role models
Don't recommend to: Anyone who likes action in their military stories...or action in their any kind of story, for that matter
September 5, 2011
If a cross-country trek during summer vacation with grandma doesn’t sound interesting, guess again. In Tanita Davis’s novel Mare’s War, high school students (and sisters) Octavia and Tali embark on a road trip with their unconventional, stiletto-wearing grandmother, Mare, who reveals the story of the African Americans in the Women Army Corps during WWII. A captivating tale which seamlessly transitions between the past and present, Mare’s War reveals one of the lesser told stories of WWII, while adding depth with the “now” chapters narrated by Octavia. The contrast in the “then” and “now” illustrate differences in how African Americans were treated, how women were treated, and how what young people feel are “necessities” have changed. Influenced by Mare and her story of how a young girl transformed into a powerful woman, readers will witness the blossoming of Tali and Octavia as they overcome their fears of driving, boys, and other teen angst issues. Independence and valor are two themes which Davis utilized to relate the two generations of women. Recommended for readers 12 and up, Mare’s War is an unforgettable read about strong young women, whose plot and principles are long-lasting. With memorable and eccentric characters, as well as a compelling storyline, Mare’s War is unlike other historical fiction—it is a captivating tale which will stay etched in the reader’s mind long after the story is complete.
Mare’s War was a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor in 2010, which honors books that promote multiculturalism; additionally, it was nominated for the NAACP Image Award, as well honored as a Junior Library Guild Selection. Davis addresses multiculturalism in a respectful manner and stays true to her characters, adding authenticity to her fictional work.
Mare’s War was a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor in 2010, which honors books that promote multiculturalism; additionally, it was nominated for the NAACP Image Award, as well honored as a Junior Library Guild Selection. Davis addresses multiculturalism in a respectful manner and stays true to her characters, adding authenticity to her fictional work.
January 27, 2010
Talitha and Octavia are not looking forward to their summer road trip with their grandmother. They are going to be traveling from California to Florida for a family reunion. Little do they know, but they are going to be also taking a trip back in time.
Their grandmother, Mare Boylen, decides to take the opportunity to share the story of what happened to her during World War II. While driving, Mare introduces Talitha and Octavia to a girl they never would have expected their grandmother to be.
In 19944, Mare was 17 years old and confronted with a challenging home life. Her single mother was constantly building short-term romances with single men, which only led to Mare and her younger sister leaving home. Mare opts to do that by lying about her age and joining the Women's Army Corps (WAC). Readers than join Mare (and the listening Talitha and Octavia) as she goes through training and travels over to Europe.
The book does a great job of capturing a unique perspective on World War II. I had heard about WAC, but I was not really all that familiar with what the Women's Army did. This novel not only does that, but it also provides the African American perspective on events.
The book is written with most of the chapters in the "Then," with periodic chapters telling the story of the roadtrip taking place "Now." I do have to say that I really could have done without the whole "Now" perspective and found myself having trouble paying attention during those chapters. The real draw for the book for me was the historical tale.
I found the book a little slow and draggy in some points so I do think it could have been tightened up for some more brevity, but I think that would have best been done with getting rid of the granddaughters.
Their grandmother, Mare Boylen, decides to take the opportunity to share the story of what happened to her during World War II. While driving, Mare introduces Talitha and Octavia to a girl they never would have expected their grandmother to be.
In 19944, Mare was 17 years old and confronted with a challenging home life. Her single mother was constantly building short-term romances with single men, which only led to Mare and her younger sister leaving home. Mare opts to do that by lying about her age and joining the Women's Army Corps (WAC). Readers than join Mare (and the listening Talitha and Octavia) as she goes through training and travels over to Europe.
The book does a great job of capturing a unique perspective on World War II. I had heard about WAC, but I was not really all that familiar with what the Women's Army did. This novel not only does that, but it also provides the African American perspective on events.
The book is written with most of the chapters in the "Then," with periodic chapters telling the story of the roadtrip taking place "Now." I do have to say that I really could have done without the whole "Now" perspective and found myself having trouble paying attention during those chapters. The real draw for the book for me was the historical tale.
I found the book a little slow and draggy in some points so I do think it could have been tightened up for some more brevity, but I think that would have best been done with getting rid of the granddaughters.
July 9, 2012
In this novel, Octavia and Tali, two teenage sisters that spend more time arguing then talking, are sent on a road trip with their grandmother Mare. Now, Mare isn’t your stereotypical grandmother, she drives too fast, she smokes too much, and she dresses like she’s still in her 20’s. Octavia and Tali soon find, though, that there is a lot more to Mare then they had thought. The book is broken down into chapters told from Octavia’s perspective, little inserts of postcards that the girls send during the trip, and chapters told from Mare’s perspective during her time in the Women’s Army Corps during WWII. Octavia and Tali seemed a little flat character wise and you never really feel completely connected with these characters; the chapters that are told from Octavia’s POV seem like filler and don’t really move the story along much. Mare’s chapters, though, are filled with a wide variety of characters that each stick out in the narrative. The world of an African American woman in the WAC wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination and the author does a great job of showing the hardships that these women faced. What’s a real strength of this novel is that none of the characters seem fictional; each girl struggles with the world that they are fighting for in different ways and they handle what is thrown at them in such a way that everyone will be able to relate to at least one of the characters. So, overall the weaknesses of the chapters in the present are greatly overshadowed by the world and characters depicted in the past. I would recommend this book to readers from 6th grade up who enjoy reading historical fiction; this would be a great book for those students who are interested in learning about women in WWII.
February 13, 2020
"Mare's War is structured around a road trip. Octavia and Talitha are stuck driving cross-country with their 80-year-old grandmother who is headed for a family reunion. Marey Lee Boylen is fond of wigs, push-up bras, and stiletto heels. We get short sections involving the road trip in which Marey Lee Boylen (Mare to both friends and granddaughters) is quite a sophisticated, well spoken woman of the world. She's very knowledgeable about black history, particularly as it relates to the parts of the U.S. they're traveling through, and she appears to be quite capable of paying for the nice hotels where she likes to stay. These sections are told from the point of view of Octavia, who I believe, is around 15 years old. (Her sister Talitha is older, not in college yet, but old enough to drive.)
These sections alternate with longer, historical sections in which the 16 to 17-year-old Mare is the first person narrator. She tells of her rough life in Alabama, how she escaped it by joining the service, and her experiences while in that service. In these sections, Mare speaks in the voice of a very, rural, inexperienced rural girl. A rube, to be blunt. She sounds nothing like the mature Mare. That totally works. To a great extent this book is about how young Mare becomes very mature Mare.
Interesting aspect of this book is that we have two YA worlds, Octavia and Talitha's contemporary world and Mare's WWII era world. Octavia and Talitha's YA life is bland and dull compared to their grandmother's. And that works."
Excerpt from Original Content
These sections alternate with longer, historical sections in which the 16 to 17-year-old Mare is the first person narrator. She tells of her rough life in Alabama, how she escaped it by joining the service, and her experiences while in that service. In these sections, Mare speaks in the voice of a very, rural, inexperienced rural girl. A rube, to be blunt. She sounds nothing like the mature Mare. That totally works. To a great extent this book is about how young Mare becomes very mature Mare.
Interesting aspect of this book is that we have two YA worlds, Octavia and Talitha's contemporary world and Mare's WWII era world. Octavia and Talitha's YA life is bland and dull compared to their grandmother's. And that works."
Excerpt from Original Content
January 26, 2016
There's lots I really enjoyed about this novel of two girls taking a road trip from California to Alabama with their grandmother, the titular Mare. And most of it centers on Mare herself - as the trip proceeds, she begins to tell the girls bits of her life story, leading up to when she ran away from home at seventeen to join the W.A.C. The book alternates between the contemporary/road trip action and historical scenes from Mare's life during World War II.
Without question, the historical story is the best bits of the book. Mare's story is vivid and well-done and just really super interesting. If the book were just this part fleshed out, I'm pretty sure it would've risen a lot higher in my estimation, because frankly I just wanted lots more of her - not just the wartime experiences, but some post-war life too.
In contrast, the contemporary bits, narrated by granddaughter Octavia, just fall flat. It's hard to get a real sense of their characters - they're pretty generic and there's really very little that distinguishes them or feels real and/or noteworthy. They're basically a vehicle for Mare's story and even the contemporary Mare runs awfully close to kooky-grandma-character territory. It's not bad, per se, just really ho-hum and, unfortunately, it brings down the book as a whole and prevents me from being unequivocally enthusiastic.
That being said, I really liked it overall and historical Mare I loved. Davis has definitely caught my attention and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Without question, the historical story is the best bits of the book. Mare's story is vivid and well-done and just really super interesting. If the book were just this part fleshed out, I'm pretty sure it would've risen a lot higher in my estimation, because frankly I just wanted lots more of her - not just the wartime experiences, but some post-war life too.
In contrast, the contemporary bits, narrated by granddaughter Octavia, just fall flat. It's hard to get a real sense of their characters - they're pretty generic and there's really very little that distinguishes them or feels real and/or noteworthy. They're basically a vehicle for Mare's story and even the contemporary Mare runs awfully close to kooky-grandma-character territory. It's not bad, per se, just really ho-hum and, unfortunately, it brings down the book as a whole and prevents me from being unequivocally enthusiastic.
That being said, I really liked it overall and historical Mare I loved. Davis has definitely caught my attention and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
August 14, 2015
The dialogue and voice in this book are simply amazing. For the first time in my life, I have actually considered writing fan mail to the author, it's that good. Ms. Davis captures the southern voice without butchering the English language by creating new spellings or making a caricature of it. I know people who talk like this. I hear these voices every day and Ms. Davis recreated them. I want to hug her and say thank you for doing it right.
Without the voice, this would simply be yet another YA historical fiction novel about a part of WWII that is sadly overlooked, with an over used road/ travel metaphor. Without the complexity of the character of Mare and the voice in which she speaks, this would be easily forgettable and perhaps only worthy of 3 stars.
The book itself talks about Mare's time with the Women's Army Corps in flashbacks interlaced with a road trip with the much older Marey's obnoxious and entitled granddaughters. Though I found Marey's story far more interesting than the present day road trip story, I still see how the road trip story was necessary to expand on the changes between generations and their lack of appreciation for what they have and understanding of where they come from.
My only criticism is that Octavia acts more like a pampered 80+ year old woman than her grandmother does and the character of Tali is generally unlikeable through much of the book.
It is also refreshing to see a book aimed towards teens that admits that not all women have business being mothers. That concept is still revolutionary, even in 2015.
Without the voice, this would simply be yet another YA historical fiction novel about a part of WWII that is sadly overlooked, with an over used road/ travel metaphor. Without the complexity of the character of Mare and the voice in which she speaks, this would be easily forgettable and perhaps only worthy of 3 stars.
The book itself talks about Mare's time with the Women's Army Corps in flashbacks interlaced with a road trip with the much older Marey's obnoxious and entitled granddaughters. Though I found Marey's story far more interesting than the present day road trip story, I still see how the road trip story was necessary to expand on the changes between generations and their lack of appreciation for what they have and understanding of where they come from.
My only criticism is that Octavia acts more like a pampered 80+ year old woman than her grandmother does and the character of Tali is generally unlikeable through much of the book.
It is also refreshing to see a book aimed towards teens that admits that not all women have business being mothers. That concept is still revolutionary, even in 2015.
December 29, 2015
Told from the alternating perspectives of 15 year-old Octavia (an African-American teenager from California) and Mare, her elderly grandmother who enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps during World War II at the age of 17, this novel tells a heartwarming tale of intergenerational bonding while also filling a gap in historical knowledge.
Mare narrates two chapters (all entitled “then”) for every one that Octavia narrates (all entitled “now”) as they drive from California to Alabama with Octavia’s older sister, Tali. Along the way, Mare tells her granddaughters the story of how she came to enlist in the army during WWII, trained in the south, and served overseas in England and France. Mare’s story, which comprises the bulk of the novel, addresses a number of serious issues—attempted child sexual abuse, family strife, poverty, racial discrimination and inequality, lesbianism—as it highlights the numerous “wars” that Mare fought while growing up and serving in the Army in the 1940s. Along the way, Octavia and Tali come to appreciate their grandmother’s struggles and learn more about American history, all the while developing stronger familial bonds of their own with each other and with their grandmother.
The complementary narratives depict deeply contrasting stories of growing up as a Black woman during two different periods in American history. Educational without being pedantic, this novel serves as an entertaining way for adolescents to learn about and appreciate an often neglected aspect of American history.
Mare narrates two chapters (all entitled “then”) for every one that Octavia narrates (all entitled “now”) as they drive from California to Alabama with Octavia’s older sister, Tali. Along the way, Mare tells her granddaughters the story of how she came to enlist in the army during WWII, trained in the south, and served overseas in England and France. Mare’s story, which comprises the bulk of the novel, addresses a number of serious issues—attempted child sexual abuse, family strife, poverty, racial discrimination and inequality, lesbianism—as it highlights the numerous “wars” that Mare fought while growing up and serving in the Army in the 1940s. Along the way, Octavia and Tali come to appreciate their grandmother’s struggles and learn more about American history, all the while developing stronger familial bonds of their own with each other and with their grandmother.
The complementary narratives depict deeply contrasting stories of growing up as a Black woman during two different periods in American history. Educational without being pedantic, this novel serves as an entertaining way for adolescents to learn about and appreciate an often neglected aspect of American history.
February 17, 2011
I read this book because I was leading a teen book discussion of Flygirl by Sherri Smith and I must say it's a great companion book. While Ida Mae Jones in Flygirl has to pass for white to join the WASP, the WACs had African-American units and they didn't stay stay side.
Mare's story of the WACs is embedded in a story of her, now an eccentric 80-year-old grandmother, going to Alabama for a reunion, but needing her granddaughters to help her drive. This is no Rules of the Road. They want to stay home, hang with friends, maybe get a job and they fight with Mare almost all the way to Alabama. But somewhat predictably, peace reigns in the end as the girls learn to respect all that Mare went through in her life and as Mare starts to see things from their viewpoint.
The best part of the book is in chapters marked Then. These tell the story of Mare's escape from an awful home situation, once her sister Feen had been sent up north, to join the WACs at age 16. Becoming part of this group of women, being sent oversees, all of this is great storytelling. While using the granddaughters to accompany her is somewhat of a contrivance, it does make the book more relatable to teens and the inter-generational action is something that doesn't take place in many teen books. Despite some weaknesses, I found I didn't want to put it down till I was finished.
Mare's story of the WACs is embedded in a story of her, now an eccentric 80-year-old grandmother, going to Alabama for a reunion, but needing her granddaughters to help her drive. This is no Rules of the Road. They want to stay home, hang with friends, maybe get a job and they fight with Mare almost all the way to Alabama. But somewhat predictably, peace reigns in the end as the girls learn to respect all that Mare went through in her life and as Mare starts to see things from their viewpoint.
The best part of the book is in chapters marked Then. These tell the story of Mare's escape from an awful home situation, once her sister Feen had been sent up north, to join the WACs at age 16. Becoming part of this group of women, being sent oversees, all of this is great storytelling. While using the granddaughters to accompany her is somewhat of a contrivance, it does make the book more relatable to teens and the inter-generational action is something that doesn't take place in many teen books. Despite some weaknesses, I found I didn't want to put it down till I was finished.
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