Join us for an in-person Book Club Discussion &/or Short Movie Screening on Friday, January 19th, starting at 6:00 pm in our Reading Lounge!

This adventure features Canary Girls by Jennifer Chiaverini, BUT PRE-READING IS NOT REQUIRED FOR THIS EVENT…

We'll be watching "The Canary Girls - the Forgotten Heroines of WWI & WWII" in our upstairs space, while snacking on popcorn and sipping on refreshments  that compliment the featured story.

Psst... You can join us for either or both events!

If you've already paid for a Book Tastings Experience or Subscription, the Book Chat is FREE - no need to buy a ticket - just show up for our discussion! You only need to sign up & pay for the additional event...

If you're not signed up for our Book Club and would like to join us for the discussion or paired activity, please sign up and pay for one or both events! You can pick up a physical copy or Book Box with curated reading pairings from the dropdown menu above, or an audiobook from the link below before the event OR join us for the workshop before you dive into the book - your choice!

 CLICK HERE FOR AN AUDIOBOOK COPY 

BOOK SYNOPSIS

An illuminating novel about the "munitionettes" who built bombs in Britain's arsenals during World War I, risking their lives for the war effort and discovering camaraderie and courage on the soccer pitch...

Early in the Great War, men left Britain's factories in droves to enlist. Struggling to keep up production, arsenals hired women to build the weapons the military urgently needed. "Be the Girl Behind the Man Behind the Gun," the recruitment posters beckoned.

Thousands of women - cooks, maids, shopgirls, and housewives - answered their nation's call. These "munitionettes" worked grueling shifts often seven days a week, handling TNT and other explosives with little protective gear.

Among them is nineteen-year-old former housemaid April Tipton. Impressed by her friend Marjorie's descriptions of higher wages, plentiful meals, and comfortable lodgings, she takes a job at Thornshire Arsenal near London, filling shells in the Danger Building - difficult, dangerous, and absolutely essential work.

Joining them is Lucy Dempsey, wife of Daniel Dempsey, Olympic gold medalist and star forward of Tottenham Hotspur. With Daniel away serving in the Footballers' Battalion, Lucy resolves to do her bit to hasten the end of the war. When her coworkers learn she is a footballer's wife, they invite her to join the arsenal ladies' football club, the Thornshire Canaries.

The Canaries soon acquire an unexpected fan in the boss's wife, Helen Purcell, who is deeply troubled by reports that Danger Building workers suffer from serious, unexplained illnesses. One common symptom, the lurid yellow hue of their skin, earns them the nickname "canary girls." Suspecting a connection between the canary girls' maladies and the chemicals they handle, Helen joins the arsenal administration as their staunchest, though often unappreciated, advocate.

The football pitch is the one place where class distinctions and fears for their men fall away. As the war grinds on and tragedy takes its toll, the Canary Girls persist despite the dangers, proud to serve, determined to outlive the war and rejoice in victory and peace.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Grown-Ups

OUR BOOKS ARE LISTED BY AGE GROUP to indicate that the content is engaging and appropriate for those selected ages. PLEASE NOTE: They may not be the appropriate reading level for every individual at those ages or may extend beyond the brackets.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Publisher: William Morrow & Company

Publish Date: August 08, 2023

Pages: 432

Dimensions: 6.4 X 9.1 X 1.6 inches | 1.15 pounds

Language: English

Type: Hardcover

Condition: NEW