Josephine: From Washington Working Girl to Fisherman's Wife, A Memoir 1917-1959
''Josephine is an amazingly good writer whose work deserves to be read.'' -- Frederic D. Schwarz, former Senior Editor, American Heritage Magazine''Margaret Buchholz's loving account of her mother's adventures from World War I until the 1950s, paints a beautiful portrait of a woman ahead of her time, and the deep mother/daughter relationship and their shared bond to Barnegat Bay. Josephine was one of the pioneering women ''government girls'' in D.C. After the war, she worked as a writer/researcher for the famous travel author and radio personality, Lowell Thomas, before she took up island life as a fisherman's wife. Margaret Buchholz's prose flows with the hypnotic ebb of the tides and I found myself mesmerized as well as charmed.'' -- Laura Shaine Cunningham, author of the memoirs Sleeping Arrangements and A Place in the Country.''From the colorful and beautifully written diaries of her mother Josephine Lehman, framed by her own painstaking research, Margaret Buchholz has crafted a luminous biography of a spirited woman and her journey through the first half of the 20th century. Life dealt Josephine both extraordinary opportunities and devastating setbacks, and she navigated them all with panache. I loved reading this book.'' -- Mary Walton, author of A Woman's Crusade: Alice Paul and the Battle for the Ballot.''The words and thoughts of gifted letter-writer and diarist, Josephine Lehman, capture the excitement and challenges of women working in Washington, DC during WWI. Jo was a true trailblazer when she answered the call for patriotic young women to work in our Nation's capital during a time of uncertainty and turmoil. I loved hearing firsthand about Jo's adventures and experiences. Even though her words were written during another time, they are relevant and timely today. Washington has changed a great deal for the female government employee and we owe our start to brave and exciting women like Jo.'' -- Krysta Harden, 21st Century ''Government Girl''''I love the way the author weaves rich material with her own observations. All to the good effect of recapturing Jo's life. A labor of love but also a real contribution to history, this story of a latter day Jo from Little Women.'' --Daniel Horowitz, Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of American Studies Emeritus, Smith College.''Through diaries, letters, dogged research and a keen, exacting memory, Buchholz writes the book her mother might have written had she not had children. In a marvelous reversal of nature, a daughter gives life to a mother.'' -- Helene Stapinski, author of Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History --Advance Reader Reviews