? UNDER THE LAMPLIGHT-

What is it that makes a woman run towards danger with open arms? An even more imminent threat, probably. Luis Alberto Urrea’s Good Night, Irene follows the story of a young woman from New York City who, in order to escape an abusive relationship and a marriage that promises nothing but despair and harm, joins up the Red Cross during WWII. Through her training as part of the “Donut Dollies,” a group of women whose main role consisted of uplifting the troops’ morale as they stared death in the face daily, Irene also risks her own life. But she also gains a lot: An irreplaceable friendship with Dorothy and an unexpected love story with Hans as the three band together in Europe and face the infamous D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Buchenwald — all events that the author’s own mother lived and in turn inspired her son.

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