Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Good War: An Oral History of World War Two by Studs Terkel ISBN: 1-56584-343-6 Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: March, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 (25 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An oral history of the "so called" good war?
Comment: Studs Terkel's Pulitzer Prize winning book "The Good War" is an amazing and startling history of the World War II. It gathers hundreds of interviews from all walks of life talking about their experiences in "the good war." It was a required reading for History 417 "United States History in Crisis 1917-1945" at Indiana State University. The book painted a genuine picture of the Second World War and put in plain words from individual experiences. The experiences of panic in Americans in the West Coast, radios announcing false reports of Japanese air attacks, and random shooting in the sky. The young American boys were turning in to savages in the Pacific campaign against a foe that had a code of honor. "Rosie" women working in the plants to help the war effect, never thought that the bombshells they were making was killing people. The book is an excellent choice, if you want to know what people thought about the war in the 1980s. My suggestions are to read the stories about John Garcia (a 16-year old Hawaiian living on Pearl harbor and joined the Army), Peggy Terry, Ray Wax and so many others stories.
Rating: 4
Summary: an interesting oral history
Comment: Studs Terkel interviewed hundreds of people asking them to tell him about their experiences during the Second World War. Those interviews are the stories included in his book, "The Good War."
If you are looking for a collection of "war stories" by combat veterans sharing their yarns of heroism under fire, look elsewhere; while there are some of those experiences here, the bulk of the book deals with the wider scope of the conflict - from "Rosie the riveter" to Japanese detainees, to survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (including Americans who occupied the cities weeks after the bombings. Sadly, they share similar stories.)
It is an interesting glimpse in time - of "simpler times" - when racism was the status quo (Terkel includes the experiences of Tuskeegee airmen and Naval ammo handlers and stevedores), when the military was segregated, when women took up jobs for the war effort, fully expecting to be fired once the war was over.
Terkel's book is primarily concerned with the experiences of Americans during the war, although he interviews some on the "other side" - a German war bride retelling her experiences during a bombing raid (the same raid her husband happened to be on - ironically bombing her town), of a German U-boat crew, of Japanese civlians. Their perspectives provide some balance to the book.
In the final analysis, it is an interesting read - not the sort of thing one could read cover-to-cover all at once; better, I think to read a few interviews and set it down, giving one the opportunity to reflect on how the seminal event of the twentieth century influenced not only those interviewed, but all of us. A worthwhile read.
Rating: 5
Summary: A special book, an important message
Comment: "The Good War" has had a profound on my perspective of history. I have always been a fascinated student of World War II, but Terkel's masterpiece led me to completely re-evaluate how I viewed the Second World War.
The book is somewhat deceiving because while it seems light, it is the exact opposite. Many of the accounts given by the men and women affected by the war are extremely powerful, and it is difficult to read through many of them in a row without having to stop and ponder their implications.
There is no doubt Terkel wrote this book to push his support of pacifism. While he probably edited the accounts to make his message more pointed, it does not really matter. Yes, World War II was "good" in that it was necessary to stop the Nazi war machine. But it was not "good" because no war can be good. World War II is often portrayed as this great event, but Terkel reveals the War for what it really was: vital for the future of the world, but devastating to millions whose lives were transformed by it.
"The Good War" is a lot of like "Flags of Our Fathers" by James Bradley. It is shows the amazing heroism displayed by people during the War, but at the same time vividly illustrates the horrors sometimes forgotten when people think about World War II. Make no mistake: I agree that the heroism of our vets during the war is unparalleled in history. I just think the book gives an important perspective that should not be ignored.
If you want to gain a new perspective of what many call the "good war" I highly recommend Studs Terkels' powerful book.
 |
Title: Hard Times: An Oral History of the Great Depression by Studs Terkel ISBN: 1565846567 Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
 |
Title: American Dreams: Lost and Found by Studs Terkel ISBN: 1565845455 Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: 01 April, 1999 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
 |
Title: Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel ISBN: 1565843428 Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: March, 1997 List Price(USD): $13.00 |
 |
Title: Hope Dies Last: Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times by Studs Terkel ISBN: 1565848373 Publisher: New Press Pub. Date: 03 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $25.95 |
 |
Title: My Soul Is Rested: Movement Days in the Deep South Remembered by Howell Raines ISBN: 0140067531 Publisher: Viking Press Pub. Date: September, 1983 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
