Forget-Me-Not

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Readers first met London, Ontario’s Roberta (aka Bobby) Harrison, in
Love-Lies-Bleeding (1998) in which the Grade 8 girl kept a wartime diary
between September 1943 and June 1944. Forget-Me-Not continues Bobby’s
story from Monday, May 7, 1945, through Saturday, September 15, 1945, as
the now 15-year-old and her extended family have to adjust to peace
following VE and VJ days.

Through almost daily diary entries, Bobby records small, often
humorous, personal events that affect her directly, as well as larger,
more sobering happenings that have wider social implications. Among the
former is Bobby’s ending her long-time friendship with Nancy when
Nancy begins dating Bobby’s older brother, Brian. Bobby, herself a
novice at dating, experiences “hands-on” problems with the
“fast” Rick Anderson. Peace brings with it new economic and social
issues. The war materials plant, which employs Bobby’s father, closes,
leaving him jobless. Women who, like Bobby’s widowed Aunt Lily, had
contributed to the war effort by filling positions vacated by men who
enlisted now have their jobs given to discharged soldiers.

As in Love-Lies-Bleeding, readers encounter returning servicemen who
have been irrevocably changed, physically and emotionally. War’s end
also means that disturbing details of Axis atrocities are revealed to
the civilian population. Although Forget- Me-Not functions well as a
stand-alone read, middle-schoolers will better understand character
relationships if they have read the earlier book. Those familiar with
Love-Lies-Bleeding will also be pleased that Forget- Me-Not answers some
of their unresolved questions, such as “What was the outcome of
Bobby’s beginning romance with George, the amputee vet?”
Recommended.