Mare's War (by Tanita Davis)
common sense media says
Unique African-American woman's WWII experience.
parents & educators say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that there's an intense scene where Mare fights her mother's boyfriend; there is also some drinking of hard alcohol. The racist treatment of African-Americans during this time period is offensive (but historically accurate). Mare is an admirable, but by no means perfect, character.
Educational value:
Explores the often-overlooked role of African-American women in WWII.
Positive role models:
Mare is an admirable, but by no means perfect, character.
Violence:
When her mother's drunken boyfriend comes into the girls' bedroom (with a suggestion that he wants to molest her younger sister), Mare fights him with a hatchet. He dislocates her shoulder and pounds her head against a wall until their mother fires a shotgun and scares him off. Men get into a fight over racist comments. One man says, "We strung up a big ugly nigra like you back home." Mare trains for war duty and spends time in England, where bombs drop.
Sex:
Mare's aunt tells her younger sister that "the army has you girls there to keep the men happy." She also says to "watch out for certain kinds of mannish girls up there." Women go on dates. Tali tells Mare to "check out the hottie" in tight black jeans.Â
Language:
Some of the Army women use disparaging terms for people of other nationalities, including "Japs," "dagos," and "Krauts." A racist man calls an African-American Red Cross worker a "boy," "coon," and "uppity nigra."
Consumerism:
Mare and her friends use some of their wages to buy clothes and toiletries. Mare pays for the girls to buy souvenirs at every stop along the drive.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Mare's mother drinks whiskey. Mare eats "tipsy cake" soaked in sour mash whiskey and drinks a fruit drink with gin. As an adult, Mare smokes cigarettes. Tali orders a Kahlua and cream, arguing that it contains as much alcohol as vanilla. (She gets in trouble for it.)
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