Name: Good Night, Irene
Rating: 5 (13 reviews)
Author: Luis Alberto Urrea

About this book

Summary
Book Club Questions

Book Summary

In the tradition of The Nightingale and Transcription, an exhilarating World War II epic that chronicles an extraordinary young woman's heroic frontline service in the Red Cross

In 1943, Irene Woodward abandons an abusive fiancé in New York to enlist with the Red Cross and head to Europe. She makes fast friends in training with Dorothy Dunford, a towering Midwesterner with a ferocious wit. Together they are part of an elite group of women, nicknamed Donut Dollies, who command military buses called Clubmobiles at the front line, providing camaraderie and a taste of home that may be the only solace before troops head into battle.

After D-Day, these two intrepid friends join the Allied soldiers streaming into France. Their time in Europe will see them embroiled in danger, from the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of Buchenwald. Through her friendship with Dorothy, and a love affair with a gallant American fighter pilot named Hans, Irene learns to trust again. Her most fervent hope, which becomes more precarious by the day, is for all three of them to survive the war intact.

Taking as inspiration his mother's own Red Cross service, Luis Alberto Urrea has delivered an overlooked story of women's heroism in World War II. With its affecting and uplifting portrait of friendship and valor in harrowing circumstances, Good Night, Irene powerfully demonstrates yet again that Urrea's "gifts as a storyteller are prodigious" (NPR).

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

Irene and Dorothy have very different reasons for joining the Clubmobile Corps. What do you think each of them hopes to get by joining, and do they find what they're looking for?
The Rapid City's commandments are: "Roll on down the road. Nothing means a thing. Don't look back. Don't apologize. Don't concede. Don't let them see you cry. The Rapid City comes first. Never surrender." How does each of these come across in the women's daily experiences? Does upholding the commandments change how they see their role in the war?
Dorothy comments that everyone loves Irene. Why does Irene cultivate this image of herself? How does it differ from Dorothy's own self-created image when speaking to the Gls? Do the versions of ...

Media Reviews

"A moving and graceful tribute to friendship and to heroic women who have shouldered the burdens of war." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"[A] remarkable, elegantly written novel ... there's plenty of grit, detail, and twists that make for both a fine page-turner and an evocation of war's often cruel randomness. Top-shelf historical fiction delivered with wit and compassion." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"With cinematic verisimilitude and deep emotional understanding, Urrea opens readers' eyes to the female Red Cross volunteers who served overseas during WWII, delivering donuts, coffee, and homestyle friendliness to U.S. troops ... WWII fiction fans, who have an abundance of options, should embrace Urrea's vivid, hard-hitting novel about the valiant achievements of these unsung wartime heroines." ―Booklist

"Urrea bends a fertile bough from his own family tree in Good Night Irene, a sweeping novel loosely based on his mother's experiences as a plucky, rebellious Red Cross volunteer with the so-called Donut Dollies on the battlefields of WWII, and the love stories — both romantic and platonic — that followed her home." ―Entertainment Weekly

"Every once in a while the universe opens its heart and pulls out a book like this novel, gifting it to the cosmos. In Good Night, Irene, a new element has been created, and the literary world is reborn in the image of Luis Alberto Urrea. His voice comes alive on every page of this magnificent novel." ―Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of The Many Daughters of Afong Moy and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

"Good Night, Irene is a beautiful, heartfelt novel that celebrates the intense power and durability of female friendship while shining a light on one of the fascinating lost women's stories of World War II. Inspired by his own family history—and his mother's heroism as a Red Cross volunteer during the war—Luis Urrea has created an indelible portrait of women's courage under extreme adversity. Powerful, uplifting, and deeply personal, Good Night, Irene is a story of survival, camaraderie, and courage on the front line." ―Kristin Hannah, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds

"A heart-wrenching wartime drama, a rich portrait of friendship, and an exploration of the trials and triumphs of the human spirit, Good Night, Irene is historical fiction at its finest. Using the little-known true story of women who worked behind the front lines for the Red Cross during World War II, Luis Alberto Urrea weaves a novel about the enduring bonds, devastating losses, and heroism of ordinary people who put their lives on the line for freedom. This is a story that needed to be told and remembered." ―Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train and The Exiles

This information about Good Night, Irene was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

Write your own review

DDoyle

Beyond 5 stars
One of the best books I have ever read, and I've read thousands of books!

Cathryn Conroy

Imaginative, Authentic, and Haunting: A Masterfully Told World War II Story Unlike Any Other
This is one of those novels that sneaks up on you, dear reader. The first half is good—actually, quite good—but not what I would call riveting. Or compelling. It's more interesting than engrossing. But hang on to your hats because the second half is unputdownable. The story sweeps into overdrive, and I just couldn't tear myself away.

Written by Luis Alberto Urrea, the novel is loosely based on his mother's experiences in World War II as a "Donut Dollie." His mom, known as Phyllis McLaughlin then and later as Phyllis de Urrea, served with the American Red Cross in Clubmobile Cheyenne where she and two other women made donuts and coffee for the soldiers serving on the frontlines. Phyllis (or "Phyl") is a very minor character in the book, making several cameo appearances.

This is the story: It's 1943. Irene Woodward is a 25-year-old New York City socialite engaged to the son of a wealthy and prominent political family. But he's far from ideal as he has this unforgivable habit of hitting her. She does the only thing she can think of to escape: Throws her engagement ring down a storm drain and hops a train to Washington, D.C. to join the American Red Cross as a Donut Dollie on the frontlines of the war. She is assigned to work with Dorothy Dunford, a tall, gangly Indiana farmgirl whose brother died in the Pacific Theater of the war, whose father died of throat cancer, and whose mother died of heartbreak. Dorothy is filled with hurt and rage and wants to extract revenge for her brother's death.

Irene and Dorothy are shipped to England first and then Europe on the Western Front. Their job in the Clubmobile Rapid City—a 14-foot GMC military truck—is to pass out coffee and donuts, but also to listen to the soldiers when they need to talk, joke with them, hug them, and give them a taste of home. This is the story of Irene and Dorothy's friendship, experiences, romances, heartbreak, and shocking secrets as they serve in General Patton's 3rd Army. Irene falls in love with a handsome American fighter pilot named Hans (and nicknamed Handyman) and dares to imagine a life together after the war. But first, they must all survive.

Urrea is an incredibly talented writer, and this is especially true in his vivid, bold, and wrenching descriptions of the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp, the Battle of the Bulge, and the harrowing and horrific evils of war. The sounds, the sights, the smells—it's all here. Extraordinary…truly extraordinary.

And the ending? It's magnificent. I wept tears of sadness and joy.

This masterful and brilliant World War II story is told from a different point of view than usual about the little-known women who made donuts but doubled as heroines. It is an adventure story. It is a romance. But most of all, it is imaginative, authentic, and haunting.

ladyjoe0807

Good Night, Irene is a well-written, thought-provoking novel set in the 1960s, focusing on two brothers' search for acceptance, love, and security amidst racial prejudice, gender norms, and political unrest. It features vivid character descriptions a
Luis Alberto Urrea's Good Night, Irene, impressed me greatly when I recently read it. It is set in the turbulent 1960s and centers on two brothers who are searching for acceptance, love, and security while dealing with racial prejudice, gender norms, and political unrest in Mexico and the United States. The flawless writing style of Urrea really struck me. He skillfully combines setting descriptions with character descriptions, adding vivid detail that draws the reader right into the narrative. There are a couple of surprising turns in the story, and it ends well. I really believe that everyone who appreciates a well-written, thought-provoking novel should read Good Night, Irene. I rate it 4 out of 5 stars overall.

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Author Information

Biography
Books by this Author

Luis Alberto Urrea Author Biography

photo: Joe Mazza Brave-Lux

Hailed by NPR as a "literary badass" and a "master storyteller with a rock and roll heart," Luis Alberto Urrea is a prolific and acclaimed writer who uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph.

A 2005 Pulitzer Prize finalist for nonfiction and a Guggenheim fellow, Urrea is the critically acclaimed and best-selling author of 19 books, winning numerous awards for his poetry, fiction and essays. Born in Tijuana to a Mexican father and American mother, Urrea is most recognized as a border writer, though he says, "I am more interested in bridges, not borders."

Urrea's book, Good Night, Irene, takes as inspiration his mother's own Red Cross service. With its affecting and uplifting portrait of friendship and valor in harrowing circumstances,...

... Full Biography
Author Interview
Link to Luis Alberto Urrea's Website

Name Pronunciation
Luis Alberto Urrea: oo-Ray-ah