Girls in a World at War by Peggy Munro Scholberg will resonate deeply with readers for several reasons: strong female protagonists, authentic perspective, rich historical context, the balance of tragedy with humor, empowerment through service, and it is an immersive and emotional journey. The book’s vivid descriptions and emotional depth create an immersive reading experience. Readers will find themselves not just reading about these women’s lives, but truly experiencing their joys, sorrows, and triumphs alongside them. Girls in a World at War is an interesting read that offers both historical insight and an emotional connection, making it a powerful story for readers of all ages.

About the Book:

After visiting a friend who returned from World War II confined in a body cast, Kathy Collens felt compelled to enlist in the war effort. In 1944, at the age of 23, she joined the Army. Despite her background as a college-educated dietician from an affluent family, and having attended the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Kathy discovered nothing could fully prepare her for the realities of war.

Girls in a World at War offers a firsthand account of Kathy and four other young women who served in the 223rd General Hospital. Stationed in France, they operated out of a converted horse barn near the 82nd Airborne quarters and near the Battle of the Bulge. Their patients included survivors released from the Dachau concentration camp.

The narrative unfolds with vivid descriptions of crossing the Atlantic, lodging in a castle, working with German prisoners of war, and attempts to make dehydrated food and Spam taste good. The book describes the experiences of weddings, a paratroopers’ jump-off dance, and the surprise of a baby’s birth, immersing readers in the narrative. Their adventures included interludes in Switzerland, sailing in the Mediterranean, and the jubilation of Victory in Europe (VE) Day. The story also touches on visits to Paris, Biarritz, and trips to the magnificent Reims Cathedral to see ‘The Angel of the Smile’ statue and attend a memorable Christmas Eve service. Romantic entanglements add another layer of complexity to the girls’ wartime journey.

Throughout their trials, these women provided invaluable support to each other, navigating the tragedies of war with resilience and camaraderie. As readers engage with their stories, they’ll find themselves laughing and perhaps shedding a tear, gaining a rare insight into the female perspective of war, grounded in real-life events.

 

About the Author:

Peggy Munro Scholberg is delighted to at last bring her mother’s telling of her story from World War II to publication. Peggy and her husband Bill live in Apple Valley, Minnesota, where they raised two sons. Together, they retraced her parents’ European travels and delved into World War II history. Following her career as a pharmacy manager, Peggy now revels in retirement. Mirroring her mother’s passion, Peggy delights in culinary experimentation, while inheriting her father’s fondness for sports.

 

What People Are Saying:

Based on a 67-year-old autobiographical manuscript, Girls in a World at War offers a far-too-rare view of war from a smart, adventurous, and independent-minded woman serving as a WAC dietician in an Army General Hospital in France. There, she learns first-hand the grim realities of war, a world tipped in a precarious balance between military rigidity and lawless savagery. True to its original author’s voice and experience, Girls in a World at War resists contemporary cliches about the Greatest Generation to expose the good and the bad, the nobility and the meanness, of people thrown together with the fate of the globe at stake.

~Todd DePastino is the author of Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front and Executive Director of Veterans Breakfast Club.

 

A lucky reader learns the back stories of history, finding insights that bring events to life, such as in the new book Girls in a World at War. Like Walt Whitman in the Civil War tents caring for the wounded, Nancy Ewing Munro endured the hardship and richly remembered people and events of WW II with an observant, caring voice. Sensitively edited by her daughter Peggy Munro Scholberg, the reader will have a deeper understanding of courage and compassion in this vivid human story.

~Jim Wojcik, Co-author of Bud’s Jacket

 

 

A compelling story of women serving in World War 2, it builds from a manuscript of one of them to the story of many of them. From tragedies to celebrations, you won’t forget.

~Lonnie Pierson Dunbier, Author, Editor, Historian, and Writer

 

What an interesting read that tells us about women/girls during war, a subject we don’t read about much. The book is based on a true story that makes it even more special. It is important that we read the stories of the women of that time—and how they stepped up to help win World War II. Each young woman had to decide to join the Army (or Red Cross), go overseas, and do what she could do to help others survive and thrive.

~Stephen Anderson, President, Minnesota Eighth Air Force Historical Society