Phyllis Zimbler Miller
BookSurge Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9781419686290
Reviewed by Kam Aures for RebeccasReads (5/08)
“Mrs. Lieutenant: A Sharon Gold Novel” begins in May of 1970, right after the Kent State shootings by the National Guard. Four very different women and their husbands begin their journey down to Fort Knox, Kentucky where their husbands will be attending nine weeks of Army Officer’s Basic Training.
The book alternates telling the story from each woman’s point of view. First, we have Sharon, a Jewish woman from the North who is anti-war. Second, there is Kim who is a Southerner with a husband who keeps close tabs on her and has jealousy issues. Thirdly, we have Donna who is of Puerto Rican ancestry and grew up in a military family. Lastly, there is Wendy who is an African-American from the South.
The characters in this novel come from very different backgrounds and are the epitome of these differences in 1970, only six years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act, so it was very intriguing to see how they would react in certain social situations with one another. I was curious whether or not they would be able to change their way of thinking and become more accepting of those who differed from themselves. I found it interesting when the author had them experience new things and form relationships outside of their comfort zone.
The only linking factor among the four main characters is that they are all officers’ wives. Take away this commonality and take into account the time period and you have four very distinctive individuals with varying belief systems. For instance, as a white Southern Baptist, Kim has issues with people of different backgrounds. In one exchange between Kim and her husband, she mentions that when she went with Sharon to the PX there was a black man who held the door for them. Sharon said it was because he was being polite but Kim thought he was gawking at them. Kim’s husband perceives this happened not only because of Sharon’s being Jewish, and says, “That’s Northerner’s thinking. They just don’t know what we know, living with them the way we do.”
Another thing about the book I liked was that at the beginning of each chapter there was a quote from Mary Preston Gross’ 1970’s “Mrs. Lieutenant” which taught proper etiquette for an officer’s wife. It was interesting to read some of the standard protocol for certain situations and events.
The author, Phyllis Zimbler Miller, writes from experience as she was a former “Mrs. Lieutenant” herself during the 1970s. Even though this book is fictional it is based in fact and I felt I learned a lot about military life and, overall, about the tension among people who were of different backgrounds during this era. I recommend “Mrs. Lieutenant” for any military family or for anyone who enjoys fiction written about the Vietnam War time period.
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