Customer Reviews

The American People in World War II: Freedom from Fear, Part Two (Oxford History of the United States) (Pt. 2)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm old enough to have live through the eventful 16-years (1929-1945)covered by Prof. David Kennedy's 2-volume history of that period of modern American history; for about half of that time, I was intellectually aware of what was happening; and I have read widely about the New Deal and WW-II. However, nothing I had been exposed to prior to reading "Freedom from Fear" gave me the context and an over-all understanding of the issues and obstacles that decision-makers faced during the Great Depression, the lead-up to WW-II, and the conduct of that war as have these wonderful two volumes. Even though I know full well how these matters played out, it was fascinating to learn how they came to be, and to realize that their outcomes were by no means foreordained nor inevitable. It is said about travel: "Getting there is half the fun;" in that sense, Kennedy is a marvelous tourguide to history.

One minor quibble: In true scholarly fashion, Kennedy
identifies sources for his many assertions and quotations in
footnotes; only a few footnotes contain additional explanatory
material that adds to the story. I would have preferred that the
many footnotes that merely give sources had been made into end
notes, available to those who want to check them but not
taking space on the pages of the narrative.

Don't be confused like I was. I bought and read Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War 1929-1945 and thought it great. I then mistakenly thought this entry was a deeper dive into the Second World War but it is actually the latter half of a two volume set dividing the original book. I suggest you purchase the original single volume version as I was more impressed with Kennedy's work on the Great Depression. If interested I reviewed the single volume and awarded it five stars. His work on the Second World War did not compare and that is why this particular work receives three stars.

This volume is well worth the price - but don't buy it if you already have Freedom From Fear - this book is the second half of that volume. Who needs two?

It is a bit hard to review this. The book is merely the 2nd half of "Freedom From Fear." I truly enjoyed "Freedom..." which makes this book awesome, but disappointed because it was not a new history.

I bought this book thinking it would be an account of civilian life in the U.S. during WWII. But I was surprised to see that it focused almost exclusively on the military campaigns and the decisions behind them. There was sporadic mention of life on the homefront, but mostly the book is a book about the war. Which is not a criticism. Kennedy deftly and thoroughly takes us through the war, outlines for us the challenges and opportunities and how the leaders of the affected nations developed their strategies. In addtion to the fine details of history, Kennedy writes in such a fashion that this book will probably appeal to the scholar and the layman with equal strength. As someone long in the tooth, I knew most of the history of WWII, but if you are younger and want a comprehensive, well-written history an epic period in world history, you could do a lot worse than read this compelling book.

Wonderfully readable detailed account of the political, military and social aspects of America's WWII experience. From the title of the book, I was expecting to read mostly about the last (i.e., social) aspect (maybe something akin to Ken Burns' PBS documentary on the war). Even familiar aspects of this time period are told in a gripping manner, and there was much dicussed that I hadn't previously come across.

I couldn't put this book down. Great writer. And his first book, Part One is even better!