Phyllis G. Yoshida and Marilyn G. Genther’s New Book, "Destination Europe 1932: Before Everything Changed," Offers a Firsthand Tour of Europe During the Lead-Up to WWII

Falls Church, VA, April 03, 2026 --(PR.com)-- Fulton Books authors Phyllis G. Yoshida and Marilyn G. Genther, two sisters who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, have completed their book, “Destination Europe 1932: Before Everything Changed”: a collection of journal entries that follows University of Cincinnati professor Marjorie Stewart Palmer on her grand tour through a Europe caught between the aftermath of World War I and the looming threat of World War II.

Author Phyllis G. Yoshida graduated from Carleton College and obtained her MA and PhD at the George Washington University in international relations. She held a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Tokyo. She worked on international trade and technology issues in the federal government and, after retirement, in the nonprofit sector. She also taught at George Mason University. Currently, Phyllis is active in the Association of American University Women and is a judge for Automotive News’ PACE and PACE Pilot competitions.

Co-author Marilyn G. Genther graduated from DePauw University and obtained her MA in library science at the University of Kentucky. She worked as a librarian in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, and retired as the executive director of the Mount Prospect Public Library in Illinois. She is an active member of Rotary International and serves as vice president of the Mt. Prospect Historical Society Board of Directors. She is the Library Relationship Chair of the Science Kits for Public Libraries (SKPL) committee, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Region 4.

“‘Destination Europe 1932’ tells the true story of Marjorie Stewart Palmer’s European Grand Tour in her own words,” write Yoshida and Genther. “She was brilliant, witty, and perceptive, making her story particularly insightful. She records what it was like to visit Europe in the aftermath of World War I and the lead-up to World War II.”

“Marjorie Stewart Palmer was a University of Cincinnati professor, who helped create and then ran the world’s first cooperative education program for women. On sabbatical, she toured Europe for six months with her husband, Prof. Lewis Franklin Palmer, in their Nash automobile. She was excited to visit the places about which she had read and dreamed. She ate great food, attended plays and opera, and explored museums, nature, churches, and historic sites. Moreover, she examined women’s role in society, stopping for interviews and site visits with eminent academics and famed activists. She participated in the third International Federation of University Women’s Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. She noted effects of the Great Depression, with its severity differing by country. A sense of normalcy pervaded, but she saw the rise of fascism with the presence of Hitler’s Nazis and Mussolini’s Fasci di Combattimento growing. She saw the hope for peace and believed women had a role in achieving that peace. She recognized the increasing upheaval and fear that would soon affect all the people she met.”

Published by Fulton Books, Phyllis G. Yoshida and Marilyn G. Genther’s book will resonate with readers and history scholars alike as they witness, through Marjorie’s eyes, a continent on the cusp of political unrest, rising facism, and a looming war that would change everything.

Readers who wish to experience this stirring work can purchase “Destination Europe 1932: Before Everything Changed” online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play, or Barnes and Noble.

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