ORANGE —
Everyone enjoys sitting around the table reminiscing about days past.
They Called it the War Effort: Oral Histories from WWII Orange, Texas, written by Louis Fairchild, gives the feel of sitting around a table as one visits with old friends.
The book is a second edition, published March 15, 2012 by Texas State Historical Association. It is 507 pages and available at The Heritage House Museum located at 905 W. Division St. in Orange.
The new edition includes interviews that were excluded from the first edition.
The book is from the people who lived in the Orange area during the shipbuilding era of War World II. It is not only from the residents who already lived here but also those that came in hopes of finding employment so they could support their families after suffering from the Great Depression.
The author included perspectives from different age groups as well as ethnic backgrounds. It was amazing to read the impact of the same events of the time affected others in so many different ways.
The city of Orange was changed from a small, quiet town of approximately 7,000 to a bustling city of approximately 60,000, in what appeared to several, overnight, when the shipyards started building ships for the Navy.
The daily struggles to find a place to rent, the hardships the citizens of Orange and the town itself as adjustments were made to accommodate the influx of people is well worth reading.
This book is hard to put down and extremely informative about the history and struggles of the people who lived during that era.
As a resident of the area, it was astounding to witness the changes in the area unfold throughout the chapters and be able to visit those locations today to witness the effects of the transformations.
I would recommend this book to history enthusiasts as well as anyone who lives in the Orange County area.
Local News
Related Photos
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They Called it the War Effort: Oral Histories from WWII Orange, Texas Leader photo by Dawn Burleigh
Discussion
Book Review: They Called it the War Effort
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