Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 6-9. Young people probably won't be familiar with this topic unless they've seen the Judy Garland movie The Harvey Girls (which, curiously, is not mentioned here). Although the idea of women going out to "civilize the West" has a certain innate appeal, kids may be slightly disappointed when they find out that the Harvey Girls were really just waitresses at Fred Harvey's eating establishments along the Santa Fe railroad. Still, these were women who left their homes and families for the chance to earn their own money and for adventure, and as such they were pioneers in the women's movement. The book is useful for this perspective as well as for its description of the gradually changing Wild West. The writing is sometimes stiff, and Morris doesn't set the scene very well--she gives no years for her opening description of western life--but the interviews with Harvey Girls and the many black-and-white photographs add appeal. (Reviewed June 1994)0802783023Ilene Cooper
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The 100,000 waitresses who staffed Fred Harvey's chain of restaurants from the 1880s through the 1950s are starched-uniformed pioneers in this laudatory history. Ages 10-up. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-The story of the adventurous and talented women who left the East and Midwest to work in the renowned Sante Fe Railroad restaurant chain established by Fred Harvey after the Civil War, and which continued to operate until 1950. These carefully groomed, capable waitresses and hostesses had a civilizing effect on the rough men of the frontier, and ``...played as big a part in settling the West as most men who traveled to this region during the latter half of the nineteenth century.'' The book is well researched, and Morris makes excellent use of comments gleaned from interviews with former Harvey Girls. The narrative is lively, conversational, and spiced with wry humor that will interest even reluctant readers. It includes descriptions of railroad towns in the unsettled West, points out the importance of Harvey's entrepreneurial talents, and briefly explains the rise and fall of the railroads. The book is illustrated with many black-and-white photos of the restaurants and of the women who devoted years of service to them. A solid treatment of an aspect of Western history seldom considered in other texts.- Phyllis Graves, Creekwood Middle School, Kingwood, TX (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
With the expansion of the railroads all over the western United States came a desperate need to feed an army of travelers efficiently and courteously. The book pays tribute to Fred Harvey, who developed and managed a chain of eating establishments, and to the women who went west for the adventure as well as the security of well-paid jobs as waitresses. Entertainingly written, packed with anecdotes and reminiscences, and illustrated with black-and-white photographs, the volume presents an intriguing slice of authentically American social history. Bib. From HORN BOOK 1994, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
According to Morris, the railroad trip west wasn't worth taking until a young Englishman, Fred Harvey, began providing food along the way. Harvey, who started out in New York as a ``pot walloper'' (dishwasher), longed for his own first-class restaurant. When he took a job as a railroad freight agent to finance his dream he saw a chance to replace the notoriously bad station cafe food with fine fare in quality restaurants. ``Harvey Houses'' on the Santa Fe line became legendary not only for their meals but also for sterling service by waitresses recruited and trained in the ``Harvey way.'' Farm girls, widows, immigrants, adventurers--they answered Harvey's newspaper ads for attractive and intelligent young women ``of good moral character,'' lived in dormitories, donned smart uniforms, and served cowpokes and miners from Kansas to California. Retired waitresses report a happy, convivial life and a demanding but fairly enlightened employer who offered opportunities (primarily to whites) for advancement and education through booms and busts. Before the decline of passenger trains after WW II, some 100,000 spunky young women had worked in 100 Harvey establishments, pioneering the way West for other working women. Interesting b&w photos (with brief captions) amplify the cheerful text; source notes; bibliography; index. (Nonfiction. 10+)
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by School Library Journal Review
Review by Horn Book Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
