SOCIAL SCIENCES

GI Brides: The War-Time Girls Who Crossed the Atlantic for Love

by Nuala Calvi
Barrett, Duncan & . Morrow. Sept. 2014. 384p. ISBN 9780062328052. pap. $14.99; ebk. ISBN 9780062328069. HIST
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After the end of World War II, an estimated 70,000 British women migrated to the United States to marry soldiers they met during the conflict. Although their experiences varied, all the women shared the task of adapting to a new country without the benefit of family and friends. Nearly 70 years after the initial arrival of the women, coauthors Barrett and Calvi (Sugar Girls) reunited to compile the accounts of 60 brides throughout the States. The result of their efforts is an archive that provides access to some of the oral histories collected (available online at gibrides.com), as well as contemporary stories of four GI brides. Their narratives illuminate the challenges faced by these women along with the ups and downs of their experiences during and after the war.
VERDICT While serious scholars might prefer Jenel Virden's well-documented and more analytical Good-Bye, Piccadilly: British War Brides in America, most readers will find this chronicle an entertaining vehicle for learning about the British GI brides' experiences.
Reviewed by Theresa McDevitt, Indiana Univ. Lib., PA , Sep 15, 2014
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