Good Girls, Good Food, Good Fun

“Details with humor and insight a generally unreported segment of feminine history. It’s crucial reading for anyone wanting to understand 20th-century feminist issues and yet it delivers emotional justice to the thousands of women who just wanted to 'do their bit' for the boys at war.” — Lincoln-Journal Star

“In constructing a portrait of wartime sexuality through the lens of the USO’s American ideal of women, Winchell highlights what she views as the USO’s middle-class prejudices. But she also offers studies of leadership in minority women’s lobbying for such issues as canteen integration and access for women soldiers.” — Publishers Weekly

“A must-read for anyone interested in the home front during World War II.” — Archways

“Winchell’s lively narrative relies on USO records as well as oral history interviews with former hostesses. . . . Recommended.” — CHOICE

“Those of us who were in the military during World War II [and] longed for the recreation provided by the USO will thoroughly appreciate this account of the service the USO provided. . . . This book is wholly successful.” — Journal of American Culture

“This fascinating social history of gender in American culture offers an insightful look at how femininity and women’s sexuality came into patriotic service during the transformative era of World War II. . . . Recommended for all libraries.” — Library Journal

“An in-depth anaylsis. . . . Winchell skillfully demonstrates how, in an era when job opportunities for women were increasing, the USO gave traditional middle-class women a chance to make a significant contribution to the war effort.” — The Journal of American History

“Allows the reader to view the issue [volunteer work of USO hostesses during WWII] as part of the tapestry of society . . . provides a temporal perspective of what had happened before and suggests what might happen next.” — Canadian Journal of History

“Winchell does an excellent job of showing the nature of the USO’s goals and methods, including its selection process and its supervision of volunteers. . . . A first-rate case study of gender, race, and class at a significant point in American history. . . . Extensive research in primary sources and her accessible writing make this a book of broad interest.” — American Historical Review

“A well-researched and detailed account. . . . Winchell has significantly added to the historiography of gender, race, and class on the Home Front during World War II.” — Louisiana History