Author John Cilio To Speak About How Women Working in WWII Changed the Framework of How Women Could Work in the Future

Online, January 30, 2013 (Newswire.com) - The Gilbert & Bennett Community Cultural Center is pleased to host author John Cilio on Saturday, February 9, at 11am for a discussion of his latest book on women working in WWII. He will tell some of the anecdotal stories and discuss a selection of vintage photographs that highlight a desperate time in America. The country needed all of the war materials it was capable of producing but American men were being drafted by the millions. Could its untested women fill the void?

The 257 page, 8 ½ x 11 book tells the chronological story about the zigzag social and political developments that enabled U.S. women to gain equal employment with the parallel story of WWII. These women imagined success and achieved it but when the war ended, so did female equality. The book concludes with how the women of WWII would not accept that outcome and worked in and with Congress, with the president, the unions and across the courts. Their objective: remove the barriers to equal pay for equal work and provide a workplace free from gender discrimination.

The author will also be available afterward to autograph copies of his book. Ten dollars of each purchase is donated to the Cultural Center. The event is held at The Gilbert & Bennett Community Cultural Center, 49 New Street in the Georgetown section of Wilton. For more information call 860-544-0056.

About the book: Women's Work in WWII: Millions of working women breakdown the barriers of gender discrimination. The author adeptly transports the reader back to the era when men went off to war and the majority of women remained behind to care for families and fill the enormous gaps left vacant by the soldiers. From it's very start you will meet the amazing everyday working and service women of WWII that changed America forever. They started with the mission to help their country and their friends and relatives in the war. They ended up proving their competence in thousands of roles previously performed by men only.

Because of their efforts the workplace would never be the same. You will see by day they worked and after work they volunteered endless hours to help the overall war effort and service personnel, they ran bond drives, scrap drives, wrapped G.I. packages for Christmas, and so much more. Women trained diligently and became excellent machinists, carpenters, meteorologists, radio broadcasters, farm workers, nurses and munitions specialists. Women enlisted in every branch of service available to them and served around the globe bravely and proudly. The text and photos document the chain of circumstances that propelled the nation to realize that women can be an overtly sustaining force within our society.

"This is an amazing book that provides the stories of the women who were the unsung heroes in World War II and who established the beginning of recognition and equality for women in the workplace. Reading the stories left me with an enormous respect and admiration for the women who never questioned whether or not they could learn the skills and accomplish the work needed, but rather seemed to say how could I not? This is a book for students and working women alike, you cannot put it down and with every page you increase your knowledge about the war and enhance your respect for the women who were there." Jeanette Perlman - Adjunct Associate Professor at NYU

"This book gave me a much better understanding of what a pivotal role women actually had during such a trying time in our nation. I would recommend this book to everyone." Anna Montgomery - Student at the University of Alabama

"It's attention to details blended with stories and photographs of people who experienced working during this difficult time make for an exciting read. My friends pick-up the book and start reading the captions and then can't put it down. If you are a history buff or a woman working and wonder what it was like to work before the workplace gave us some equality, you will love this book." Ellen White - Owner, Cakes By Ellie

About the author: John Cilio thrives on researching the ghosts of our past, uncovering the underlying forces and historical trends that one single event rarely impacts. Yet he is compelled to share the experience of those events from the perspective of someone from that time, that era. Finding how the decisions of a few affect the destiny and stories of thousands of other people motivates his curiosity. He believes that often the consequences of a historical incident were hidden from those that experienced it yet looking back one can sense the full impact of their moments in time. This is John's sixth historical book.

About the exhibit:
"War and Peace in the 20th Century" comprises publications and propaganda from the Forties, original photographs of a journalist who was on the scene at beach landings, treaty signings and historic meetings, even model tanks. A WWII era motorcycle with sidecar is the center of attention, but other sections focus on the role of women in the war effort, the British contribution, and the Germans' surrender.

Whether you remember it yourself, or have only studied World War II, this exhibit at The Gilbert & Bennett Community Cultural Center is powerful and evocative. The event is open from 9 to 4 daily through February, free of charge. Some of the items on display are available for sale.

For more information about the author or to purchase books about women's history or vintage aviation visit www.vintageflyer.com. Captioned photographs from the book are available to the press upon request at [email protected].