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Jennifer Chiaverini, author of Switchboard Soldiers: A Novel of the Heroic Women Who Served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps During World War I

In June 1917, General John Pershing arrived in France to establish American forces in Europe. He immediately found himself unable to communicate with troops in the field. Pershing needed operators who could swiftly and accurately connect multiple calls, speak fluent French and English, remain steady under fire, and be utterly discreet. At the time, nearly all well-trained American telephone operators were women --- but women were not permitted to enlist, or even to vote in most states. Nevertheless, the U.S. Army Signal Corps promptly began recruiting them. More than 7,600 women responded; they served with honor and played an essential role in achieving the Allied victory. Their story has never been the focus of a novel…until now.

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Week of June 12, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of June 12th include THE MAZE, Nelson DeMille's long-awaited new thriller featuring former NYPD homicide detective John Corey, who is called out of retirement to investigate a string of grisly murders much too close to home; TRACY FLICK CAN'T WIN by Tom Perrotta, a sharp, darkly comic and pitch-perfect chronicle of the second act of one of the most memorable characters of our time; Mohsin Hamid's THE LAST WHITE MAN,   a story of love, loss and rediscovery in a time of unsettling change; GHOST LOVER, an electrifying collection of nine fearless and ferocious short stories from Lisa Taddeo, who brings to life the fever of obsession, the blindness of love and the mania of grief; and SWITCHBOARD SOLDIERS by Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I --- the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory.  

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