A lively and compelling autobiography of one of the first enlisted Navy WAVES in WWII. From joining the Navy to joining the mile-high club, Helen Gilbert's life was interrupted and forever changed by Pearl Harbor, and she describes in very straightforward terms how it was to enter a traditionally male world. After serving her country, she struggled to find work and gain acceptance as an emancipated woman in a rapidly-changing world - weathering discrimination, marriage, child-rearing, tragedy, infidelity, alcoholism and recovery. Whether recalling the Depression, WWII, or sharing her thoughts on the aftermath of Sept. 11th and the war in Iraq, Helen pulls no punches. A book chock-full of eyebrow-raising anecdotes and life-affirming stories.