Book Notes: Quirky characters bring WWII WASPs to life
Fannie Flagg’s The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is a fictional story whose main character, Sookie Poole, a Southern Alabama housewife, is taken on a journey that turns her life upside down. The author intertwines fictional characters with the history of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), an organization of brave, patriotic women who served during World War II.
The book starts slowly, but with humor, quirky characters, and plot twists, it evolves into an engaging, informative story. The reader is taken back and forth in time from Alabama to Wisconsin to California. The story spans generations, following two families—one steeped in Southern culture in present time, the other a polka-loving Polish family in 1940s Wisconsin.
Author and actress Fannie Flagg was born in Birmingham, Alabama. She is perhaps best known for her 1987 novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. While The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is also based on Southern culture and interesting characters, the story line is much different. However, the two books have an additional connection.
The café portrayed in Fried Green Tomatoes was based on a café owned by Flagg’s aunt. Following the success of the book and subsequent movie, the café became a popular tourist attraction. Many years later, while in California, Fannie called the café to “check in.” The owner mentioned that a group of 80-year-old women, former WASPs, was there. It was 1999, and the women were having their last reunion. Flagg had never heard of the WASP but was intrigued. Thus, the seed for this novel was planted.
Most UMRA Book Club members greatly enjoyed the book for its humor, and especially for its introduction to the little-known history of the WASP. It’s well worth reading if you’re looking for a book that touches on family identity and eccentric characters, provides a touch of mystery, and deftly describes how women aided the war effort during World War II.
—Mary Jane Towle, member, UMRA Book Club
Book Club to meet October 8
Tue, Oct 8 2019, 2pm
Mary Jane Towle will lead the discussion of The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion, a novel by Fannie Flagg, when the UMRA Book Club meets at 2 p.m. on Friday, October 18, at the 1666 Coffman Building in Falcon Heights. Contact Pat Tollefson at [email protected] for more information.
Visit the UMRA website to read a review of the club’s September selection, Becoming, by First Lady Michelle Obama.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.