Reunions & Revelations

To wrap up the summer, book club members read The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg for the month of August. This book goes backwards and forwards in time from the present to the 1930s and 1940s, covering a wide geographic swath, including the deep South and the Midwest. Within its pages, family secrets are concealed and divulged as the main characters grow to learn more about themselves and their relatives.

The book discussion group met to discuss this book and enjoy a light snack of pepper jelly, cream cheese, and crackers alongside some coconut-flavored water. A hearty discussion surrounded this book, which was largely liked all around. Below are additional resources for those wishing to learn more.

“She had always liked cheese, especially pimento cheese sandwiches. Could that have come from her genetic background, or did she just love cheese?”

Author Bios and Interviews

• http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/fannie-flagg
• http://blog.al.com/living-press-register/2010/11/a_conversation_with_alabama-bo.html
• http://www.signature-reads.com/2014/09/17-things-you-didnt-know-about-fannie-flagg-author-fried-green-tomatoes/
• https://dianerehm.org/shows/2013-11-04/fannie-flagg-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5WM7ad5WxE [VIDEO]
• http://www.southernliving.com/culture/writing-the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion

Book Reviews

• https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion-by-fannie-flagg/2013/11/18/5b32ac96-4af0-11e3-be6b-d3d28122e6d4_story.html
• http://www.richmond.com/entertainment/books/book-review-fiction-the-all-girl-filling-station-s-last/article_b959d3a3-1ce7-5275-a872-1963b1fe97c0.html
• http://www.al.com/living/index.ssf/2013/10/fannie_flaggs_latest_novel_ano.html
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/fannie-flagg/all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion/

Discussion Questions

• http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc/2014/07/14/readers-guide-the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion-by-fannie-flagg
• https://mppl.org/check_it_out/book-discussion-questions-the-all-girl-filling-stations-last-reunion-by-fannie-flagg/

Historical Background

• Pulaski, Wisconsin
• http://www.villageofpulaski.org/home/history/
• http://casimirpulaskiday.org/casimir-pulaski-local-history/
• http://pulaskiwihistory.com/
• http://pulaskipolkadays.com/
• 1930s-1940s Gas Stations
• http://www.phillips66gas.com/history
• http://amhistory.si.edu/onthemove/collection/object_103.html
• http://www.industrialoutpost.com/the-phillips-66-highway-hostesses/
• http://rvtravel.com/highway-hostesses-cleaning-up-americas-gas-station-restrooms/
• http://danielwyatt.blogspot.com/2013/07/route-66.html
• Aerial Stunts 
• http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/barnstormers/EX12.htm
• http://mentalfloss.com/article/70002/day-baby-ruths-rained-down-pittsburgh
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FI6STwhPCuI [VIDEO]
• http://www.centennialofflight.net/essay/Explorers_Record_Setters_and_Daredevils/pangborn/EX14.htm
• 1940s Radio (shows/songs specifically mentioned in the book)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlvacbi8Cp4 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOG89TrL4Vk 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnGEX72AToU 
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm1wuKvrxAw
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L5d6ATKCZo (1895)

• World War II
• Invasion/Occupation of Poland
• https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2011/06/world-war-ii-the-invasion-of-poland-and-the-winter-war/100094/
• https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005070
• http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/germany-s-wwii-occupation-of-poland-when-we-finish-nobody-is-left-alive-a-759095.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8eAmFrPS7U [VIDEO]
• Women Air Service Pilots (WASPs)

• https://www2.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1942&_f=md056279
• http://www.wstthemovie.com/
• http://waspmuseum.org/
• http://wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp/tribute.htm
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-wasps-flew-for-their-country-in-world-war-ii-now-theyre-hoping-for-a-rose-bowl-float/2013/11/06/f4067e60-464b-11e3-bf0c-cebf37c6f484_story.html
• http://twudigital.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/p214coll2
• http://www.npr.org/2010/03/09/123773525/female-wwii-pilots-the-original-fly-girls
• https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/689318/wasp-pursued-love-of-flying-fought-for-women-vets-recognition/
• Female pilots officially become part of the U.S. military in the 1970s
• https://www.womenofaviationweek.org/u-s-women-of-military-aviation-history-since-world-war-i/
• https://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/rr/s01/cw/students/leeann/historyandcollections/history/lrnmre1970s.html
• Planes of WWII/1940s
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piper_J-3_Cub
• http://www.lockheedmartin.com/us/100years/stories/p-38.html
• https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=82
• http://acepilots.com/planes/p47_thunderbolt.html
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk5S2SyZxXQ [VIDEO]
• http://www.aviation-history.com/consolidated/b24.html
• http://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2015/11/15-things-you-never-knew-about-the-b-17-flying-fortress/