Many women who lived through the Second World War believed it heralded new status and opportunities. But did it? Making the Best of It examines how gender and other identities intersected to shape the experiences of female Canadians and Newfoundlanders during the war. The contributors to this thoughtful collection consider mainstream and minority populations, girls and women, and different parts of Canada and Newfoundland in their essays. Ultimately, they lay a foundation for a better understanding of the ways in which the lives of Canadian women and girls were altered during and after the 1940s.

The First World War demanded sacrifice from all levels of society, and the degree to which citizens at home were expected to "dotheir bit" was made explicit in national propaganda. Women andgirls in Canada and Newfoundland were indelibly affected by, and wereintegral parts of, their countries' war efforts. Yet their variedresponses and myriad activities are not recognized in our memory of thewar.

"A Sisterhood of Suffering and Service" actively engages inredressing that absence and in exploring why the retelling ofwomen's stories meets such resistance. Drawing upon amultidisciplinary spectrum of recent work - studies on mobilizingwomen, paid and volunteer employment at home and overseas, grief, childhood, family life, and literary representations - thiscollection brings Canadian and Newfoundland women and girls into thehistory of the First World War and marks their place in the narrativeof national transformation.

Recognizing women's active and emotional responses to theFirst World War is a crucial step towards understanding how that warshaped Newfoundland and Canada both during and after the conflict. Thisvolume is therefore essential reading for anyone interested in thehistory of women, the First World War, Newfoundland, or Canada.

Sarah Glassford teaches history at the Universityof Ottawa and Carleton University. Amy Shaw is anassociate professor of history at the University of Lethbridge andauthor of "Crisis of Conscience: Conscientious Objection in Canadaduring the First World War."