“She Built Ships” by Jeane Sloane is another winner! I loved her previous book, “She Flew Bombers: From the Factories to the Bases During World War II.

This second book is more complex as it not only follows the life of a riveter, Lolly but also her friend, but also, Sumo is taken with her family to a detention camp and lastly, the book follows another friend’s husband when he joins the Tuskegee Airman.

Lollie is married to Joe who has a quick temper and is very prejudiced against non-white races. She has a daughter, Edna, who can be a tattletale but also very responsible and a son, Joe who needs toilet training. Lolly is very alone except for her friend at the grocery store, Sumo. Her sister writes her but she lives too far away. Her husband is very restrictive and demanding. That is where the story starts.

I loved this book because it grabs your attention from the first sentence to the last. The author has done a tremendous amount of careful research which is reflected in her book. The story flows smoothly and the research is tucked into this story appropriately. One of my favorite parts of this book is the abundance of drawings and black and white photos which tell as the words in this book.

There is a lot to learn in this book, Victory Visitors, what it is like to weld and wear welding clothes, and most awful, the terrible Port Chicago explosion and the mistreatment of the blacks working at that facility.

I can say nothing wrong about this book. I recommend it very highly to people wanting to learn about the home front during World War II and all the other important history in this book. I am eagerly looking forward to Jeane Sloan’s upcoming book, “She Was A Spy During WWII”. ( )