By: Michelle Shocklee
Libby ebook
Published: 2025
Genre: Christian historical fiction
Set in 1944 and 1979 Oak Ridge, Tennessee, this story follows Mae Willett from a Kentucky coal miner's family to the very secret Oak Ridge for a job to support her family. In the 1979 sections, her niece Laurel is trying to learn more about the experiences of women who worked at this top secret government facility, enriching uranium for nuclear weapons. Only Aunt Mae is beyond reticent to talk about the war years and her experiences.
I bookmarked a LOT but will try to just "hit the high points" in this entry.
Prologue: "I am sure that they will cheerfully help to pay a large part of its financial cost while it goes on. I am sure they will cheerfully give up those material things that they are asked to give up.
And I am sure that they will retain all those great spiritual things without which we cannot win through."
Theoretically, this is part of a speech that President Roosevelt gave, I wasn't curious enough to search for it, but his repetition of the word cheerfully seems incongruous to the message.
Chapter 1: "No one wants to talk about those days. The past is in the past. Best to leave it there."
It's interesting that Laurel went to spend time with her aunt, intending to do research for her PhD, but didn't realize that Mae did NOT want to talk about it. This caused some ongoing tension for the two of them.
Chapter 1: "Not every secret needs to be told. Some just need to be forgotten."
I guess it depends on what the secret is and what might come about from revealing it, but in general, hidden secrets tend to cause damage to someone.
Chapter 1: My friends tended to label me as driven. Whether or not it was a compliment depended on the situation.
Yes! I think most character traits can be negative or positive, depending on the situation and the degree to which they are exercised.
Chapter 2: She'd saved our shoe ration coupon for a special occasion, but I was familiar enough with the greedy practices of the company-owned store to know the exorbitant price would be added to the already enormous debt Pa owed.
I hate greed, especially when greedy people prey upon needy people! Mae's Pa had already given his health and life to the coal mine owners . . . yuk.
Chapter 3: "I don't get to talk about those days much, and unlike your aunt, I believe there's value in telling our stories. After all, no one on the planet experienced what we did."
I didn't like how nosy Georgeanne got as the story went on, but I appreciated her willingness to be interviewed by Laurel and the information she shared. I also value telling stories.
Chapter 3: My generation and generations to come need to hear those stories. We can't change the historical facts or the outcomes, but we can learn from them."
Laurel sums up a part of the reason she wants to hear about these stories. Learning from the past is a noble goal.
Chapter 3: "The whole thing was upsetting, but people didn't have any choice. If the government said they had to go, they had to go."
Laurel is still talking with Georgeanne here. I can't imagine the government telling me to get out because they need the land where my house is more than I need it. Sixty thousand acres and only short notice to vacate!
Chapter 4: "You stand in long lines, ride in crowded buses, and walk through mud every day. I don't see how being in a Hollywood movie can even compare to this, do you?"
I loved the humor in this as young Mae and Sissy are becoming friends.
Chapter 5: "I was happy, then I was sad. There were days when I couldn't stop thinking that I had a part in killing all those people. It bothered me. It bothered me for a long time afterwards, but there wasn't anything I could do about it. I ultimately had to stop thinking about it and move on, so that's what I did. That's what we all did."
The moral dilemma of realizing what their work was leading to was well written about. I think the author handled sensitively the issues of sorrow and thankfulness regarding atomic weapons.
Chapter 7: "The average age of Oak Ridgers was twenty-five, which was fun and strange all at the same time."
That sounds like a lot of fun! If there were tens of thousands of young workers there, that would be a ripe situation for lots of interactions.
Chapter 7: That is a terrible, heartbreaking fact. It's easy to look back on history and make judgement calls about what should or shouldn't have been done. We can debate the decision to use the bomb from now until eternity, but it won't change things. All we can do is learn from it and pray a weapon like that is never used again."
Elliot Tyson has granted Laurel an interview and sharing his honest perspective. Jonas Tyson is protective of his father and clearly interested in Laurel.
Chapter 9: "I imagine most of us take for granted what we see every day. The familiar doesn't usually leave a lasting impression on us."
This is an interesting idea. I'm often guilty of not being observant of what's around me. I love the idea of mindfulness and paying close attention to what I can currently hear, see, smell, taste, feel . . .
Chapter 10: " . . . He said the Bible tells us we've got to trust the Father with everything, including the people we love. The hard part is letting go of control."
Tears swam in her eyes. "I hardly pray for Joe anymore, because when I do, I start to cry. I want God to promise that Joe will come home and live to be an old man, but that promise never comes."
Mae and Sissy are talking about their lives, their families, their fears, their faith. I loved the friendship between these young women.
Chapter 17: We called what Aunt Mae was doing a defense mechanism, a key concept of psychoanalysis. People often use repression, usually unconsciously, to protect themselves from anxiety-producing thoughts and feelings related to internal conflicts and outer stressors.
Defense mechanisms can definitely be a strategy for coping with conflict and stress. I prefer freedom in Christ!
Chapter 22: The kindness of these people meant more than they would ever know.
I love that Velvet and Roonie showed up at the hospital and in separate cars! They were there for Mae AND for Laurel. Velvet was probably my favorite character in the entire book, followed closely by Jonas.
Chapter 23: . . . it occurred to me I had no idea the depth of suffering Velvet and her family had endured because of hatred and ignorance.
Mae has accepted Velvet's invitation to come over for coffee and realizes how very differently black people are treated than white people, even on the "Reservation."
Chapter 26: "My sister has always been a woman of high morals. Our mama instilled biblical principles of honesty, integrity, and faithfulness in us from the time we were born."
Laurel's dad (Mae's little brother) has trouble thinking that his big sister may have acted in criminal activity during the war.
Chapter 28: "Life is too short to be set on one certain idea and miss all the wonderful surprises that come along. Surprises that can alter what we thought was the right path for ourselves but actually ends up being the very thing we needed to make us happy."
Laurel's dad is both making an observation about his own life and giving some fatherly wisdom to his daughter. He's right. Life is too short to get stuck on a preconceived path and miss out on wonderful surprises.
Chapter 30: "Guilt has a way of making us think God is too angry to forgive our sins. That we're too far gone to be saved, but grace says otherwise."
There are LOTS of great lines from Velvet in this chapter! She is really preaching it!
I had about twice as many highlighted passages than I've blogged here . . . but nothing incredibly profound. I enjoyed this book except I kept yelling at young Mae to NOT get in the car with Clive and to tell someone (like her boss) the complete truth! Clive was a truly nasty character. I love that she was able to reconnect with Garlyn in the 1979 part of the book. I'm always sad when a person (fictional character or real life person) misses out on decades of life because of guilt, secrets, fear, shame, . . . it just seems such a waste!
We have book club in a few hours and this book is due back, so I'm glad to have blogged it!
