In this diary Mary Jean deals with some major health issues including damaged knees and a cut in her hand that landed her in the hospital for months that left much of the summer and early fall in the diary empty. Surviving a very cold winter in Washington DC, much of her daily life involves dinner parties, reading books, and visiting the movies alongside occasional visits from friends and family such as her Aunt Harriet. Mixed into descriptions of her daily life are mentions of national issues such as her brother John’s financial worries at the beginning of the Great Depression.
Topics in this diary include the Great Depression, medical treatments including both home and professional remedies, and social and work life in Washington DC.