This book is a collection of oral accounts of the Second World War from a variety of sources and perspectives. It is organized by topic and covers the entire breadth of the war from soldiers in combat, to bombers and the people who were bombed, to the homefront, to POWs. An extraordinary amount of information and views are presented in this compelling volume of firsthand accounts.

History students, history buffs, teachers, or anyone who wants to further their understanding of the Second World War.

The "realness" of this book. The accounts are all firsthand and some are quite moving. From the first account by a soldier who regrets his accidental killing of a civilian, to the B-29 gunner who could only wave goodbye to another gunner as their plane broke apart, there are numerous moments in this book where the reader feels deeply in touch with the subjects being interviewed.

The abundance of civilians represented in the book. I recognize that the author was trying to cover the war from all angles, but I would have rather heard more soldiers' stories.

Read more on the subject.

I felt like I understood the war better, from all aspects. There are many moments that affect the reader on some deep emotional or mental level. Things like an Italian-American's explanation of how hard it was to fight against the Italians, a gunner's description of how he could only wave goodbye to a friend as his friend's plane went down, or an American POW's recounting of how he cheered US bombers destroying Japan as he languished in a hellish POW camp.

Studs Terkel, a noted historian, did an excellent job in conducting interviews and compiling these accounts. He lets the subjects tell their stories without excess intrusion from his questioning and when he does prompt them with questions, they are informative and impartial rather than leading.

It is an excellent compilation of first person accounts that offers deep insight into the war by the people who were there.

This book may be unsuitable for some because it does not include the historical background behind the accounts of the people being interviewed. You must already know much of the history of the war in order to appreciate it.

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Created Jun 03, 2004 at 5:50pm • Submit your own review...