Revisions on chapters two and three of the Jane Grant book have re-ignited my interest in the Great War of 1914-1918, now more commonly known as World War I, and have given me the opportunity to dive back into primary and secondary sources about women’s support of the conflict. One of my favorite books on the topic remains Kimberly Jensen’s Mobilizing Minerva: American Women in the First World War.

The U.S. military dragged its feet about female enlistment, but thousands of women found ways to get overseas to do something to contribute to the cause. Most of them went under the auspices of the Red Cross and YMCA, and officials of those organizations worried about the women’s motivations. Patriotism was ideal, of course, but a belief in “proper” moral standards or religious convictions would do. Adventurers, career opportunists, and romantics were discouraged, but they were not easily recognizable.

Jane sailed through the YMCA application process, but understanding her motivation(s) for going overseas is more complicated than choosing a category. It is emblematic of her life that she could not be easily pigeon-holed. And that makes her a fascinating character.

Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month. The National Women’s History Alliance has designated the 2026 theme as Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.

Don’t miss Pamela Toler’s annual WHM series on her blog, History in the Margins. She runs the best Q&As with people who write women’s history.

What I’m Reading

Winning the Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become the First Woman in Congress by Lorissa Rinehart has once again moved to the top of my reading pile. It’s especially (unfortunately) timely. Rankin was passionately devoted to pacifism, and she voted against U.S. entry into both world wars.

Yesterday I retrieved my library copy of Alia Hanna Habib’s Take It From Me: An Agent’s Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch. It’s very nicely organized and well written, and I think it will be especially useful for those starting out. I’ll be able to pick up a few tips about writing a book proposal, which I appreciate.

I finished Gertrude Stein: An Afterlife by Francesca Wade, and it’s a big WOW for me. Wade presents a well-crafted biography that focuses both on the literary and personal aspects of Stein’s life. I also appreciated Wade’s insights on research and on the form of biography itself.

Despite a strong start and vivid characters, Angela Flournoy’s The Wilderness just didn’t work for me. YMMV.

What I’m Watching

Yesterday was a very charming movie about a struggling singer/songwriter who wakes up after a bicycle accident to find himself in a world where the Beatles never existed. Great premise, well executed.

Nothing new in the rotation. The final episode of Grace did a nice setup for next season. Saw the latest episode of Starfleet Academy (Paramount+) and watched more of The Lincoln Lawyer (Netflix).

Finally, finally polished off the last episode of Stranger Things. It did not need so many seasons, just like Lost, which started off intriguing but devolved into convolution.  Also got through all of Young Sheldon, which I was really fond of. Now the filler sitcom is Ghosts (Paramount+) because I’m behind on this season. It’s total fluff.

I’m looking forward to two new Masterpiece series available this month on PBS: The Count of Monte Cristo and The Forsytes (not to be confused with the earlier series, The Forsyte Saga, which I always referred to as Soames Behaving Badly). I’ll also resume Call the Midwife, but this series is getting a bit dusty.

Still haven’t finished The Game and All Creatures.

What Else I’ve Been Doing

Not much.

Weekly bowling, two games, both very mediocre, devoid of any interesting frames. Sometimes that’s just the way it goes.

Last week’s 6-7 inches of snow left the streets a bit tricky to maneuver on foot, which limited outside walks. But March is supposed to start off with a gradual warming trend so, fingers crossed.

Feels like late winter doldrums.

Thanks for reading. Tune in next week to find out if March has indeed arrived like a lamb—and if that matters one iota for the progress of book revisions.