Alison Owings

Hey, Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray (University of California Press)

Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich (Rutgers University Press)

Astonishing and intimate interviews with German women about their lives in the Third Reich.
"Notable" Book of the Year –- New York Times

Indian Voices / Listening to Native Americans

Reviews for Hey Waitress! The USA from the Other Side of the Tray

“Probably the first oral history of waitressing in America. …Read it, and remember it the next time you think of leaving six percent.”

“The stories Owings tells are remarkable in their diversity.”

“Talk about profiles in courage.”

“Sure is fun to read…. The book has the ring of truth.”

“… a lacerating portrait of women in the service industry…also the perfect passive-aggressive gift for that friend who always leaves a measly 10 percent tip."

“Fascinating… Owings’s conversational style, humor, and empathy make this an absorbing look at the American landscape through the eyes of an often overlooked group of workers.”

“Owings introduces us to all manner of waitresses, from ex-debutantes and PhDs to drug addicts and virtual slaves. They talk about customers, bosses, tips (oh do they talk about tips), the tricks of the trade, their special language and more.”

“Nothing less than a heaping slice of Americana, a glimpse into class divisions delivered on a heaping platter of human interaction..”

“Some might call ‘Hey, Waitress!’ a tribute, but it’s much better than an earnest celebration of the downtrodden working class.”

“In effect, the book is about how we treat each other, for better and for worse.”

“It explores the diverse (if greasy) corners of the restaurant world, honestly depicting just how hard that world can be.”

“Part of the interest is in her choice of locales: an Ursuline convent, the Woolworth’s counter where civil rights sit-ins took place, one of the Harvey restaurants that ‘civilized the West,’ the first New York haute cuisine restaurant to hire a woman, and Everglades National Park, among others. … Compelling…. Compassionate.”

“It’s about time such a book took this micro-society of hardworking women with the due affection and compassion that Alison Owings brings to this fine study.”

“I savored it, and didn’t want it to end. …. Hey, Waitress! is a book of stories about waitresses all over the country… Eating at a restaurant will never be the same again. I give it a rare five out of five bookmarks.” -


Reviews for Frauen: German Women Recall the Third Reich


"In vivid and often poignant portraits-cum-interviews...[Owings] has captured the extraordinary diversity of [women's] experiences."

"A remarkable work of history that stands out from the vast library of World War II studies for its sheer intimacy and its sometimes startling perspectives"

"Oral history as it should be done."

"A fascinating account... The women Alison Owings has interviewed are an interesting and diverse lot, and her conversations with them are spirited, sometimes contentious, often funny, and always revealing."

"A revelatory and exiting book."

"Powerful testimony... Oral history at its best ... a much-needed record of WWII German women."

--Kirkus Reviews