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LYNN F : 1950 - 1951 HANDWRITTEN ORIGINAL DIARY OF A YOUNG JEWISH GIRL COMING OF AGE SURROUNDED BY HER LOVING FAMILY, SUPPORTIVE BEST FRIENDS AND A FRUSTRATING STREAM OF CRUSHES AND LOVES LOST

8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. On offer is a lovely diary of a young, Jewish, middle-school aged girl named Lynn from Chicago, Illinois. Anyone who remembers themselves as a young and inexperienced child attempting to navigate the complex world of friendships, newfound loves, extracurriculars, and school exams will find something thoroughly interesting in this diary. As Lynn goes through her last year of Middle School in a Chicago public school, she goes through the many trials and tribulations of being a young woman, growing up and coming into her own and living through new experiences in life and love. Though the diary format is that of a calendar year, Lynn starts the diary in the near the beginning of her school year, in August 1950 and continues it until the end of July 1951. Her diary is filled with the kind of gossip and love affairs normal to a young American girl in the post-WW2 world. Lynn is Jewish, though aside from going to synagogue on the sabbath, seems not to care too deeply about the religious aspects of Judaism. The diary starts as Lynn begins a short stay at a camp. She talks often about the boys in the camp (particularly those that ask her out or seem to have a crush on her or those that she herself fancies). There is constant drama in her life, often among the girls in her camp who are sometimes her friend and other times not (“First of all the girls in the cabin (Elaine and Rita) hate me but that’s O.K. because I hate them too...) Lynn is from a middle-class family. She mentions once her “first steak dinner in almost two months” shortly after she returns from camp, but she also writes that she has to quit dance classes because her family can no longer afford to pay for them. Back in school, she talks much less about what she learned than about the relations she has with her friends, enemies (who were often former friends or crushes) and current crushes (who she often hated before but now like very much). She also goes to shul one day a week for continuing Jewish education, and often hangs out with friends and reports on gossip going on with her friend group. As well, Lynn seems quite serious about her dancing, going to classes often. Shortly after starting the school year, she develops a steady crush on a ‘David M.’ who she dotes on for quite some time, though he does not seem to like her or even notice her very much. ‘David M.’ is eventually replaced with a ‘Brian P.’ After the new year, there is much written about the tests needed to be taken in order to enter high school next year. She mentions taking tests for ‘gymnasium’, ‘home mechanics’, mathematics, as well as a Hebrew test taken in order to get into ‘mitle shule’. At the end of June, Lynn goes to New York with her family. She visits with grandparents, uncles, aunts, and many cousins and goes to the beach often with her family. She spends five weeks in New York, finally returning to Chicago at the end of July. She concludes by saying, “New York is gorgeous but you have to crazy to go in the summer.” The diary ends on August 1st, 1951. The diary is in fair shape. It is roughly 370 pages long, with about 350 pages written. The cover is bright red dyed leather. The leather over the spine is completely missing and the spine is exposed, though all pages still adhere to a protective endband that can be seen. Lynn’s handwriting is clean and very easily readable. She writes mostly in pencil, but smudging is very minimal. Examples of text: “August 14, 1950. Dear Diary, Seymour asked me out for tonight. Then he asked me if I’d go with him for the whole summer. I said yes although I hardly know the guy. Oh well I’ll get to know him (I hope.) I can’t wait to see Nan again. Love, Lynn.”; “August 16. 1950. I was mayor of camp. Did it feel wonderful. There are only three girls in the cabins. 41 boys and 10 girls what a life. I didn’t go with Seymour to the camp fire. He said he wanted to go stag. No doubt he doesn’t like me.”; “September 5, 1950. Dear Diary, today I went back to school again. It isn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I like Benson very much. Today I also went to shule for the first time in two months. Carso will teach there one more month then the new teacher will come.”; “Dear Diary, Music (singing assembly) in school. Then singing in shule. Mrs. Lazarus asked Harriet and I to sing for the role of ___. She hugged me and said I was the leader of all the songs when we sing. I love her.”; “December 19, 1950. In school we had a test for high. I didn’t get any right. We got our school paper. I’m on the honor roll on my report card. Then shule. Tomorrow we have singing. I can’t wait. I’m getting sick of school.”; “January 5, 1950. Dear Diary, today in school I didn’t feel well so I asked Mrs. Benson if I could be excused. She started asking me all sorts of questions. One was ‘If I had my period.’ ... We had the meeting and then went to Jerry’s for our pajama party. I’ve never had a nite like that before. No one slept at all. Then in the middle of the night 6 out of 10 girls started throwing up. Wow. Love, Lynn.”; “May 23, 1951. Dear Diary, in school we practiced for graduation. We had dancing. I danced with David M. Brian wasn’t there. Daddy signed something real nice in my autograph book. Every Time I ask ma to sign it she has a different excuse. It seems to me she doesn’t want to sign it. In shule we had singing. I brought my book. Harriet signed a nice thing. Lynn.”; “June 22, 1951. Dear Diary, Ma woke us up at 5:00. We got on the plane at 7:15. We had 3 seats together. A plane is wonderful. At 10:30 we were here in N.Y. Grandpa came to meet us. He got fat but looks real good. So does Nonny and so does Aunt Bea. Long Beach is nice. Alan got so big and talks a mile a minute. He is so cute. Chia went to a cousin's house in New Jersey so I didn’t and won’t see her for another week or two. After supper I went for a ride. Lynn.”. Manuscript. Book Condition: Good

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