Just finished Oh Johnny by PBS news anchor Jim Lehrer and like a Robert B. Parker book it is a quick read about one of my favorite genres, the forties. It's a story about a young marine Johnny who is enroute to California, from there overseas. He is as yet innocent in the ways of love, a situation he wants to remedy. He gets off the train on a short stopover at a cookie and cigarette canteen run by the local doughnut dollies in Kansas. He remedies his innocence situation and falls immediately in love with the object of his affections. One problem arises, he does not know her name.

The book follows Johnny through the war and he does not forget the girl. She is his good luck charm, he thinks, that protects him from harm. It continues after the war, and does not leave any unanswered questions at the end. I liked the book and recommend it.

The video of the doughnut dollies of North Platte Nebraska is what I think Johnny's rail side canteen looked a lot like.