I read the historical fiction novel Switchboard Soldiers (2022) by Wisconsin author Jennifer Chiaverini. A prolific writer, she has published the Elm Creek Quilt Series, short story collections, and a dozen standalone novels of historical fiction.
Chiaverini introduced three main characters, each with their own chapters. As a reader of this book, I learned about 1) Grace, from New York City, at twenty-four, was contemplating moving out of her childhood home to live in an apartment closer to work as a switchboard operator. 2) Valerie from Los Angeles, her family left Brussels after it had been devastated by the Kaiser’s invasion. 3) Marie from Cincinnati, whose father immigrated from France two years ago to work at the Music Conservatory. Marie was also an accomplished musician and singer.
When each of these three women learned that Bell Telephone was recruiting young women to serve in France with General Pershing to operate the switchboard for the US Signal Corps, they had their own personal reasons for applying. One requirement was that applicants had to speak and read French and English fluently, which they did.
Their backgrounds and family stories led them to apply and become a part of a unique opportunity to serve in WWI. Chiaverini's details of historical events during wartime were revealing to me as a reader. I knew of nurses involved in the war, but not the switchboard operators. Once the women enlisted, they were trained as part of the military, wore uniforms, and were assigned rigorous schedules. They then made their way to France, where their lives became entwined.
During wartime, their departure and travels to France underwent a harrowing journey due to the threat of German U-boats, not to mention the outbreak of the Spanish flu and their skills to sew masks, taking precautions in small spaces and close quarters.
When in France, air raids threatened their safety and the success of the project as they moved closer to the front to play an integral part in connecting soldiers in battle, getting help for the wounded, and training other operators to find more efficient methods of communication.
When Valerie led her team through a bombing every fifteen minutes, trying to get to their shift on time to relieve the night-shift male counterparts. Chiaverini’s flair for writing details such as… Straightening their jackets, tucking in their blouses, removing their hats, and soothing loose strands of hair back into their coiffures, they made their way to the telephone room, where the commanding officer regarded them with astonishment. When the officer commented, he did not expect them to show. A young woman said, “This isn’t our first bombardment.”
Throughout the book, women Switchboard Soldiers earned respect from the enlisted men and officers. There was much skepticism about their abilities, especially in the early 1900s.
In the Author’s Notes, Chiaverini acknowledged that these women were denied the opportunity to serve as soldiers and could not qualify for benefits because they were not recognized as veterans, after the war was over.
A iron was that the success of the war was due to their loyal service. However, it wasn’t until 1977, when President Carter signed a bill awarding them the status of veterans.
Have you read this book? Or any other books by Jennifer Chiaverini? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
