I was looking for some kind of reassurance during these tough times. COVID-19 self-isolation and distancing is hard. But I found reassurance in Living on the Home Front. Author Megan Westley voluntarily lived a wartime lifestyle for a year. She was fine at the end of it. I am reassured that I, we, you, will also be fine at the end of our virus wartime lifestyle.
Westley explores England during World War II in Living on the Home Front, and lived a year in a wartime lifestyle. She discusses such things as the government’s reasoning for food rationing, blackouts and clothing austerity, and then she lives the directives.
Rationing and price caps made sure rich people could not hoard at the expense of poor people. Waste of any kind was frowned upon because it risked the lives of people working in the supply chain. Communication was restricted to avoid bad information circulating.
Sounding Familiar
Sound familiar? Some stores are rationing toilet paper and meat. They are setting the first hour of business aside for the elderly, disabled and vulnerable to shop. Waste, especially food waste, is a no-no because you are risking the lives of people who are delivering that food. Communication is restricted when governments and businesses work together to remove false and misleading information (Google removed the InfoWars app because of false claims, Twitter and Facebook have removed posts containing lies). Our self-isolation cuts back on our communication.
Westley’s book is very focused on food, complete with Victory Garden grow-your-own-veggies gardening tips and recipes for everything from Spam to gorse wine. There were expectations of austerity, obedience to government orders and acceptance of risk (of death by bomb). Again, sound familiar?
Living on the Home Front is about a modern-day woman who voluntarily takes on, survives and even kind of enjoys this lifestyle, for a year. If Westley can last a year in her sudden lifestyle change, so can I, we, you.
To help you through, here are 19 free lesbian books of quality you can download and read for free.
P.S. There is nary a lesbian to be found in Living on the Home Front, in case you were wondering.
