“The Women of Oak Ridge” by Michelle Shocklee … and a GIVEAWAY!

Welcome to Friday Reads!

 

 

There’s a giveaway for a print copy of The Women of Oak Ridge by Michelle Shocklee, courtesy of the publisher. (US ONLY!) Enter by using the giveaway link at the bottom of the post. (Contest ends September 19, 2025.) If you’re the chosen winner, I’ll contact you for your information to pass along to the publisher.

 

About the book…

In The Women of Oak Ridge, a powerful World War II novel about courage, connection, and the enduring power of words, two strangers find hope in the unlikeliest of places. 

In the hills of Tennessee during World War II, Maebelle Willett begins a secretive government job in Oak Ridge, unaware she’s helping build the atomic bomb. When her roommate shares disturbing information and vanishes, Mae’s search for answers leads to a life-changing revelation with a heavy cost. 

Decades later, in 1979, Mae’s niece Laurel—researching Oak Ridge for her graduate thesis—visits her aunt hoping to uncover a personal connection. But Mae refuses to discuss the past. As Laurel digs deeper,  guided by Mae’s old friends, she uncovers the mystery of the missing  woman—and the buried guilt Mae has carried for decades, threatening to resurface with devastating consequences.

 

Excerpt…

Prologue
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON, DC
DECEMBER 9, 1941

President Franklin D. Roosevelt sat behind his desk next to a fireplace in  the White House, with the United States flag behind him, spectacles  perched on his nose, and paper in hand—a calm presence in a room  swarming with aides and people rushing around. 

A half dozen microphones faced him, and a photographic camera stood ready to make record of this, his first fireside chat since the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Someone signaled for silence.

A hush fell over the room.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the announcer said, “the President of the United States.”

President Roosevelt’s face took on a serious expression as he
addressed the nation. 

“My fellow Americans,” he began, his measured voice familiar to the millions listening. “The sudden criminal attacks perpetrated by the  Japanese in the Pacific provide the climax of a decade of international immorality.

“Powerful and resourceful gangsters have banded together to make war upon the whole human race. Their challenge has now been flung at the United States of America. The Japanese have treacherously violated the long-standing peace between us. Many American soldiers and sailors  have been killed by enemy action. American ships have been sunk;  American airplanes have been destroyed.

“The Congress and the people of the United States have accepted that challenge. Together with other free peoples, we are now fighting to  maintain our right to live among our world neighbors in freedom and in  common decency, without fear of assault.”

He spoke about past relations between the United States and Japan, including meetings that took place mere days before the attack. He reminded listeners that the US had done everything possible to maintain peace. Now, we found ourselves at war. Every man, woman, and child, he said, was a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history.

“I am sure that the people in every part of the Nation are prepared in  their individual living to win this war. I am sure that they will cheerfully help to pay a large part of its financial cost while it goes on. I am sure  they will cheerfully give up those material things that they are asked to give up.

“And I am sure that they will retain all those great spiritual things  without which we cannot win through.”

His final words were firm and indisputable.

“We are now in the midst of a war, not for conquest, not for vengeance, but for a world in which this Nation, and all that this Nation represents,  will be safe for our children. We expect to eliminate the danger from  Japan, but it would serve us ill if we accomplished that and found that  the rest of the world was dominated by Hitler and Mussolini.

“So we are going to win the war and we are going to win the peace that follows.

“And in the difficult hours of this day—through dark days that may be yet to come—we will know that the vast majority of the members of the human race are on our side. Many of them are fighting with us. All of  them are praying for us. For in representing our cause, we represent  theirs as well. Our hope and their hope for liberty under God.”

The president fell silent, yet his inspiring words would resonate with Americans in every corner of the country. In big cities and small farming communities. With families gathered around the radio in their living  rooms, and soldiers huddled in barracks on military bases, preparing for war.

 

Amazon purchase link

 

Q&A with Michelle…

 

Q:  What inspired this story?
A:  I grew up in Santa Fe, NM, not far from Los Alamos, the site where   the first atomic bombs were made. Despite being familiar with the  history of the Manhattan Project in New Mexico, including the Trinity  test, I was unaware of the role the small town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee 
played in it all. Several years ago a reader approached me at a book  signing in East Tennessee and mentioned that her mother once worked  in Oak Ridge. I didn’t know why she told me this, but I didn’t have an opportunity to ask before she left. Curious, I later looked up the history  of Oak Ridge and was astounded by what I read. “How did I not know  this?” I asked myself. That question ignited the desire to write a story set  in Oak Ridge, a government “secret city” like Los Alamos. The people of  Oak Ridge, including thousands of women, were instrumental in the  making of Little Boy, the first atomic bomb used during wartime. The  Women of Oak Ridge is my attempt to share their story.
Q:  What messages or themes do you focus on in this book?
A:  As we go through life, we’re faced with decisions every single day.  Sometimes they’re small and mundane. Other times they’re big and life- changing. Still other decisions fall into the category of right versus  wrong. Honorable versus shameful. It’s those decisions that, if we make  the wrong choice, become deep, heavy, dark secrets in our hearts. Secrets we would rather take to our grave than have come into the light. The Women of Oak Ridge reminds us that the decisions we make and the  secrets we carry have lasting repercussions. Mae’s choices, and ultimately her regrets over them, give a clear message that it’s always best to do  what is right and good, even when it’s hard. Even when it’s scary.
Q:  How does faith play a role in this story?
A:  The theme verse for The Women of Oak Ridge comes from John 8:36: “If the Son shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” The main character, Mae, is stuck in the past. She can’t truly live in the present, nor can she dream about the future. She’s done things—terrible things, in her opinion—that prevent her from accepting the grace and freedom found  only in Jesus Christ. She can’t believe that God could ever forgive her. We can all relate to this view of ourselves at different times in our lives. We  don’t believe God’s love and grace is for us because of the things we’ve  done. Jesus, however, says the exact opposite. He offers full and  complete freedom. Freedom from guilt, pain, and past mistakes.  Freedom from sin. In The Women of Oak Ridge, Mae struggles with believing Jesus’ promise of freedom is meant for her. She feels she  doesn’t deserve it, and she’s right. None of us deserve the freedom and grace found in Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t stop him from offering it to  us. The question then becomes, will we accept it?
Q:  What do you hope that readers learn from The Women of Oak Ridge?
A:  As a self-proclaimed history nerd, I hope readers learn something  about the Manhattan Project they might not have known before reading  the story. Although the topic of atomic weapons is still debated today, the  vast majority of people who participated in the Project in the 1940s,  especially the thousands of workers in Oak Ridge, had no idea their work  would result in a terrible weapon that would be used against Japan. They  simply wanted to do their part in bringing the war to an end. Their  stories, however, are important and should be told. We can’t change history, but we can learn from it.
Q:  What do you find to be the most challenging part of the writing process? What advice would you offer young writers?
A:  Creating believable stories and characters is always a challenge. That’s where research comes in. Research breathes life into my books. Because I write historical fiction, it’s imperative I know how people spoke, dressed, behaved, etc., for the time period I’m writing in. As an example, some of  the research involved in writing The Women of Oak Ridge came from watching dozens of video interviews of women and men who worked on  the Manhattan Project. Personal stories provide invaluable details.  Photographs are another excellent resource I use for every book I write.  Because some of the settings no longer exist, or don’t exist as they did  years ago, I study photographs in order to help recreate historical places. 

My advice to young writers is, don’t skimp on research. No matter what  genre you write, research will always breathe life into the story and the characters.

 

Thanks for being here, Michelle. I’m sure my readers enjoyed learning more about your latest release.

 

About Michelle…

 

 

Michelle Shocklee is the author of several historical novels, including All We Thought We Knew; Count the Nights by Stars, a Christianity Today fiction book award winner; and Under the Tulip Tree, a Christy and Selah Awards finalist. Her work has been  featured in numerous Chicken Soup for the Soul books, magazines, and blogs. She is  married to her college sweetheart and is the proud mother of two grown sons and two lovely daughters-in-law. She makes her home in Tennessee, not far from the  historical sites she writes about.

 

The Women of Oak Ridge by Michelle Shocklee

 

Rules for the giveaway can be found here.