Slinging Doughnuts For The Boys, James H. Madison, 2007, Indiana University Press, 300 pp, photographs, end notes, index ISBN 978-0-253-22107-0

Elizabeth Richardson is the only female buried in the hollowed grounds of the Normandy American Cemetery, overlooking Omaha Beach. She served with the American Red Cross "slinging doughnuts for the boys" in England and around Le Havre, France. She died in a plane crash 25 July 1944, traveling to Paris to make arrangements for she and other members of the ARC in Le Havre to move to Germany. The aircraft, an L-5, flew into dense, low fog and the pilot descended to try to get his bearings, where he contacted a tree and crashed. The plane caught fire and the passengers, who were killed on impact, were badly burned.

This was clinical, bare-bones description of the book. However, the author provided much more than that about Liz-he wrote an engaging and thoughtful book, describing Miss Richardson eloquently. He used letters to friends and family, her diary, and personal accounts by those her knew her to paint hear-warming picture of this Red Cross volunteer.

The author's writing style was inviting and he carried the story chronologically, occasionally using later diary entries about specific subjects when needed. Elizabeth described herself well, I gathered, by the comments provided by others and she seemed to have a great sense of humor and dedication to her job and country.

I strongly encourage others to read her accounts of the war presented here, to get a stronger idea of all sides of the war. She loved England and was mostly in the Midlands until near the end of the war. The described the warts and the beauty of the land and people.

My only complaint with the book is with the book itself. It was hard to read, as the binding were very tight and book would not open adequately nor would it lie flat. I had to man-handle the book to keep it open and to compound the problem, the inside margins were too narrow, such that I had issues reading the in-most words of each line.

9.5/10 I deduct 0.5 for the bindings. ( )

Based on the journal entries from American Red Cross volunteer, Elizabeth Richardson, Slinging Doughnuts for the Boys depicts the life of Red Cross volunteers during World War II. The book takes place in England where Liz works with Yanks scattered acrossed the English countryside, sending a considerable amount of time with the 82nd Airborne. The book then follows Liz to France where she takes care of released allied war prisoners. As the author writes,"It's a rugged and irregular and weird life, but it's wonderful. That is, as wonderful as anything can be under the circumstances."

This fascinating history contains the letters and diaries of Elizabeth Richardson, who volunteered for the Red Cross during World War II and worked as Clubmobile hostess. I bought this book while doing research for a graduate project on women's volunteer service during the war, and I was not disappointed. Liz's story is all at once inspiring, enlightening, and heartbreaking, and historian James Madison handles her narrative perfectly. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the war, Americans' contributions, women's service, or those who love primary source evidence. ( )