Book Notes | ‘Good Night, Irene’
It is 1943 in New York City. Irene Woodward is 23 years old and engaged to a man from a prominent society family. Knowing she needs to escape her suffocating mother and her abusive fiancé, Irene secretly signs up to join the American Red Cross Clubmobile Service. She travels to Washington, D.C., to train for what will become a strenuous and often dangerous job of following the British and United States troops.
After training, Irene travels in a convoy of ships across the Atlantic Ocean to join other volunteers driving clubmobiles—2.5-ton trucks and busses repurposed as mobile social clubs— to wherever the armed forces are stationed. These “Donut Dollies” make coffee and doughnuts, play music, and try to provide some relief from the tension of the war for the men, oftentimes the night before fighter planes and bombers take off for Europe.
The women establish strong bonds with each other, especially Irene and Dorothy Dunford, her partner in the Clubmobile Service. They experience love and loss, but come to know how important their jobs are to these soldiers who are risking their lives for the war effort. As they follow the troops into Europe, Irene and Dorothy are often faced with danger; there are scattered groups of German soldiers battling to take back territory.
Luis Alberto Urrea based his historical novel on his mother’s experience as a Donut Dolly during World War II. To research the book, Urrea read journals and interviewed several Clubmobile women. Photographs in the book are from those his mother kept.
Many of UMRA’s Book Club I members felt that the book started off slowly, but gained momentum as the clubmobiles traveled into Europe and dangerous situations arose. The general consensus of the group was that they liked the book, but some felt it wasn’t an accurate picture of women in the war. The information about the “Donut Dollies” was new to most book club members. The majority of the members felt the friendship between Irene and Dorothy was the strong point of the book.
—Stephanie Daily, UMRA Book Club I
Book Club I March 21
Fri, Mar 21, 2025, 2pm
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Good Night, Irene by the Mexican-American poet and novelist Luis Alberto Urrea when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, March 21.
The club’s selection for its meeting on Friday, April 18, is Random Family by Adrian Nicole LeBlanc. Diane Madlon-Kay will lead the discussion.
Questions? Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected].
Upcoming Events
52 Loaves: One Man's Relentless Pursuit of Truth, Meaning, and a Perfect Crust by William Alexander will be the selection for discussion when the UMRA Book Club gathers via Zoom for its first monthly meeting of 2026.
Developing a sense of identity is a central psychological task of the lifespan. Memories and stories from our personal past, as well as cultural memories and stories in society play key roles in how we develop our identities. This presentation will discuss psychological theory and research on how memories and stories make us who we are.
When you are of Icelandic descent you can trace your ancestors back to around 1200 and sometimes further.
Bleak House by Charles Dickens.
Here’s another great opportunity to buy discounted tickets and join your UMRA friends to cheer for the Gophers when the Women’s Basketball team hosts the Purdue Boilermakers at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on February 1.
Join fellow UMRA members for a morning hike in Theodore Wirth Park to celebrate Groundhog Day on Monday, February 2.
UMRA’s special event for this winter will again be a celebration of brighter days and the approaching end of winter. We’ll have food, fellowship, and music provided by Urban Sound, one of the University’s premier student a cappella ensembles.
"One color" is the theme for the meeting of the UMRA Photo Club on Tuesday, February 10.
Family history with Jim Kurle. A tale of Swedish emigration to Dunn County, North Dakota including my grandfather, whose unusual relationship to several churches, and religion in general, was one of the reasons for his emigrating.
UMRA’s Cabinets of Curiosity tour on Thursday, February 12, will offer an inside look into the rich resources of the University Libraries Borchert Map Library. Map Librarian Ryan Mattke will showcase the treasures and innovations of one of the largest map libraries in the U.S.
Well-known Twin Cities-based financial journalist and economics commentator Chris Farrell will be the featured guest for UMRA’s February 17 Living Well Workshop via Zoom. He will discuss why and how the current generation of older Americans is not following the traditional retirement pattern of a relaxed lifestyle.
UMRA's Book Club I will discuss Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother's Life. Author is Kao Kalia Yang. Discussion leader is Linda Lindeke.
Renee Alexander’s first job at the Great Minnesota Get-Together was as an intern in 1989. She took over the top job in 2023, following the 26-year tenure of her predecessor.
Growing Up by Russell Baker.
Family history with Michelle Casey.