Sherrie Tucker

In the prologue, the author of Dance Floor Democracy concedes that the book is not a comprehensive history of the Hollywood Canteen, and recommends "The Hollywood Canteen..." by Mitchell and Torrence for readers who are looking for that type of resource. Having now read both of the books, I'd suggest reading the Mitchell and Torrence book first, for a general overview. In fact, that book might be sufficient for most general readers.

Dance Floor Democracy looks at the Canteen as it represented the culture of its time, in terms of race, gender, and politics. The Canteen was designed to serve the "typical" G.I., that is, straight, white, and male. Through interviews, diaries and other primary sources, we see the Canteen through the eyes of participants who didn't quite fit the mold, such as African-American and female members of the military, and a gay Canteen volunteer. There is also a section on FBI surveillance of the Canteen. Simply because the founders insisted on a very basic level of racial integration, the project was apparently seen as a possible Communist plot.

Written by an academic for a university press, the language can be a little off-putting for the general reader; for example, use of the term dyad to describe the dancers, rather than couple, pair, or partners. However, the reader who perseveres will be rewarded with fascinating historical tidbits and a fuller view of everyday life during the World War II era.

I received a free electronic advanced reading copy of this book from Netgalley, but received no other compensation.… (mehr)