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“She’s got no more business there than a pig has with a Bible.” That’s what her father said when Mary Herring announced that she would be moving to Washington, DC, in late 1942. Recently graduated from the North Carolina School for Black Deaf and Blind Students, Mary had been invited to the nation’s capital by a cousin to see a specialist about her hearing loss. Though nothing could be done about her deafness, Mary quickly proved her father wrong by passing the civil service examination with high marks. Far from Home: Memories of World War II and Afterward, the second installment of her autobiography, describes her life from her move to Washington to the present. Mary soon became a valued employee for the Navy, maintaining rosters for the many servicemen in war theaters worldwide. Her remarkable gift for detail depicts Washington in meticulous layers, a sleepy Southern town force-grown into a dynamic geopolitical hub. Life as a young woman amid the capital’s Black middle class could be warm and fun, filled with visits from family and friends, and trips home to Iron Mine for tearful, joyous reunions. But the reality of the times was never far off. On many an idyllic afternoon, she and her friends found somber peace in Arlington Cemetery, next to the grave of the sole Unknown Soldier at that time. During an evening spent at the U.S.O., one hearing woman asked how people like her could dance, and Mary answered, “With our feet.” She became a pen pal to several young servicemen, but did not want to know why some of them suddenly stopped writing.

Table of Contents

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  1. Cover
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  1. Title Page
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  1. Copyright
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  1. Contents
  2. pp. v-vi
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  1. 1. A Trip North
  2. pp. 1-16
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  1. 2. The Start of My Big City Life
  2. pp. 17-22
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  1. 3. A New Job
  2. pp. 23-35
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  1. 4. Cute Boy on the Train
  2. pp. 36-47
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  1. 5. A Place of My Own
  2. pp. 48-67
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  1. 6. Happy with My Life
  2. pp. 68-87
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  1. 7. Changing Times
  2. pp. 88-103
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  1. 8. Home for the Holidays
  2. pp. 104-117
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  1. 9. A Visit from Mama
  2. pp. 118-131
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  1. 10. Terrible News
  2. pp. 132-155
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  1. 11. Big Decision
  2. pp. 156-160
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  1. 12. Back Home
  2. pp. 161-164
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  1. 13. Together Again
  2. pp. 165-170
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  1. 14. Victory at Last
  2. pp. 171-173
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  1. 15. A New Beginning
  2. pp. 174-185
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  1. 16. Hurricane Hazel
  2. pp. 186-193
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  1. 17. Ups and Downs
  2. pp. 194-197
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  1. 18. Holidays without Mama
  2. pp. 198-201
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  1. 19. Cousin Bert
  2. pp. 202-205
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  1. 20. So, the Winter Is Past and Gone
  2. pp. 206-208
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  1. 21. Changes
  2. pp. 209-225
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  1. 22. A New Time
  2. pp. 226-232
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