Mollie's War

The Letters of a World War II WAC in Europe

Non-Fiction - Memoir
291 Pages
Reviewed on 10/08/2014
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Author Biography

Cyndee Schaffer, daughter of Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, published author of “Mollie’s War” and editor of the monthly Midwest Writers Association newsletter, received a BS in math education from Northwestern University and a MS in curriculum development from DePaul University. Cyndee’s work experience has taken her into three divergent careers. First, she worked as a high school mathematics teacher in the inner city of Chicago. She co-wrote and edited mathematics textbooks for several publishing companies. Then she worked on the “human side of computers” as an IT consultant writing training materials, conducting corporate training and testing computer systems. Finally in January 2008, she collaborated with her 91-year-old mother writing a book based on the letters that her mother sent home to her family while serving as a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) stationed in Europe during WWII. “Mollie’s War” published by McFarland Publishers in 2010 is the result of this endeavour.
Cyndee has been selected as a 2014-2015 Road Scholar by the Illinois Humanities Council. This means that she will be able to bring her program throughout Illinois to small towns and rural areas—and the Humanities Council will help defray the costs.
Mollie passed away in 2012 at the age of 95 but Cyndee continues to tell her mother’s story to libraries, senior living facilities, senior centers, women’s clubs and men’s clubs.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Michelle Robertson for Readers' Favorite

Readers often only read about the men who served in World War II. What about the women? There were 150,000 women who served in the Women's Army Corps during World War II. Come learn of one such brave woman as she served in England, France, and Germany. She tells of her adventures from basic training in Daytona Beach through to the day she approached the American shore line to return home. Come read a firsthand account about the crucial time in America when a woman, Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, put on a uniform and became a vital part of history. Mollie's War: The Letters of a World War II WAC in Europe written by Mollie Weinstein Schaffer, Cyndee Schaffer, and Jennifer G. Mathers is a collection of correspondence from Mollie Weinstein Schaffer and her family and friends as she ventured overseas with the Women's Army Corps during World War II.

Mollie's letters are simply astonishing. A reader can expect to get a very vivid mental picture of the lifestyle, environment, and events of a civilian girl and military woman during the 1940s. Each letter is a memorable treasure. Mollie talks of the simple pleasures of a young girl such as dances, boyfriends, proposals, and then more serious issues such as getting into the duties of a military female; transcribing Nazi Experimental Data; aiding refugees and citizens of the war in Europe, and missionary work. Reading this incredible historical memoir, a reader can expect to be engaged thoroughly with the pure raw emotion and imagine it as it happened that day, as well gain a deeper perspective on Mollie Schaffer's experiences, both personal and work related. Mollie's War would be appreciated by readers interested in history, war, historical women, or the 1940s.