Molly Guptill Manning

I was afraid this book would be dull, but I was quickly drawn into the story. I loved the idea that a group of librarians found a way to stand up against the censorship of the Nazi book burnings and that the publishers took it one step further to provide soldiers with books that were easy to carry with them into some pretty rough places. It was heartwarming to read the letters from grateful GIs and to learn that for some the books they were exposed to through the ASE program led to further education after the war. I knew nothing about this effort to provide books to the troops in WWII before reading this book, and I am pleased to learn that so many people worked hard to counteract the call to censorship and to provide books that enhanced the quality of life in difficult times. I'm appalled by the growing call to ban books from our schools and libraries in our present day. How can we ever be a discerning public if our children cannot read widely from diverse ideas and decide for themselves their value?

Speaking of librarians . . .before the war, 88% of librarians were men, after the war began, 88% were women. Charles P. Taft, a Cincinnatian, who worked for a government program that included the ASE program, said it would never work unless a layman--and he meant a MAN--headed it.… (mehr)