Monday Moments - The Eights by Joanna Miller

 The Eights by Joanna Miller is an excellent piece of historical fiction.  Well written with engaging characters, this book takes us back to 1920 Oxford. For the first time in over a one thousand year history, females are admitted, and they are eager to forge a path. 

Now, don't get too excited. This is a tough new world.

 Four women, Beatrice, Dora, Marianne, and Otto are in  Corridor Eight. They come from all walks of life, each have secrets, and they are driven for different reasons.  They also find that there are still  many restrictions for  women.  

cover blurb: The shadow of the Great War still looms providing a turbulent world to  navigate.  Misogyny is rife, influenza threatens, and the ghosts of war don't always remain dead. 

The author obviously did plenty of research. She  alternates with back stories for each young lady, and then gives us their  daily lives at  university. The history,  traditions, and  now the  new  paths  being forged are presented well.

I enjoyed this book and were proud of these ladies.  When you really  think about that time period, these young ladies were quite bold and brave. This was my grandmother's  era, back in  the day in the U.S., and apparently she participated in suffragette parades. It's hard to picture, but The Eights brings the time period  to life in  England.  Well done!  

History in 3D

Home from work, I strolled by the front window on the way to my den office, and glimpsed something you don't see every day - a 1969 British tank. With an impish grin, my neighbor Pat said in his delightful accent, "It's England's answer to road rage." Actually, he and his son have had this restoration project going for five years, and the tank is officially ready for shows, parades, and a trip to the neighborhood.

Pat's grandson and a friend had a grand time in the turret position. It got me thinking about how to get young folks to read - history in 3D. Now, I have no idea, but I would guess that this project incited some interest in British history and the role of this tank in wars. Whether fiction or non-fiction, I bet there's some grand stories behind this solid piece of machinery.

As a youth in Pennsylvania, my family had lots of daytrips to historical sights. The trips then piqued my interest and I went through a Revolutionary War phase, a Civil War phase, etc. Whether it was Johnny Tremaine or Gone With the Wind, I devoured historical fiction. Hands on experiences kick-start the imagination and bring words on the pages to life.

Education is intertwined - history, English, social studies, science (i.e. the mechanics behind this mammoth beast and its Rolls Royce pistons). If nothing else, these young men are also working on their social skills. Pat said they stopped at a red light, and had time to flirt with some young ladies. They are already asking, "May we drive it to prom?"