Customer Reviews

Life: World War 2: History's Greatest Conflict in Pictures

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Beware, this picture book of World war 2 is unsanitized. If you can stand to look at frightening pictures, this book may be for you. It reproduces pictures such as a full color photo of a German soldier being comforted by his comrades after his arm was shot off, showing his arm laying on the ground next to him and showing the dazed expression on his face. If you are not too squeamish to look at that, then you may have the stomach for this book. Many pictures of Nazi atrocities are included as well as pictures of amputee refugee children. There are many other types of photos too, such as typical battle scene shots and pictures of the homefront. However, for the most part, this book is unvarnished.

We have seen many war pictures showing battle scenes. We have also seen pictures of the wounded in a somewhat unrevealing manner. This book does not hold back. If you want to see the horrors of war, buy this book but be prepared to be troubled after looking through it and if you have nightmares afterwards, don't say you were not forwarned.

Images of World War II are portrayed here with all the intense emotion that the memories evoke. The book was of particular interest to me since both my parents, now deceased, served in the armed forces overseas in various countries during this period of time. In addition, any publication by Life Magazine is worth its weight in gold and of extreme quality, clarity and vivid photography. This book is no exception. I recall quite clearly my mother's descriptions of the German "blitzkrieg" and the book does an excellent job of portraying that. As one turns the pages, stories unfold of a time which many of us do not fully understand or remember because we were so young at the time; however, the dramatic stories passed on to us from a previous generation come to life through the vivid pages of this book. This work is a beautiful tribute to those remaining individuals who fought for our freedom and those who gave their lives. It is a highly recommended book and most deserving of far more than five stars.

In Lenigrad under siege, a couple pulls a sled bearing a tiny coffin. In Coventry, a priest leads his congregation in prayer, surrounded by the ruins of their cathedral. In the field, a bleeding German soldier is comforted by his comrades, his right arm lying in the foreground. In Kent, schoolchildren watch a dogfight with expressions ranging from horror to delight. In Rotterdam, the city is leveled as far as the eye can see, except for a lone church. In an internment camp in Wyoming, two Japanese-American soldiers, visiting their families, stand honor guard beside the casket of a Japanese-American World War I veteran. Every picture in this remarkable book reminds us that the story of World War II is much more than a collection of battles and troop movements; each reminds us that the war produced a multitude of heartbreaking stories played out all over the world.

The book surveys the entire war, year by year. Each year is introduced with an essay by a well-known person (e.g., writer John Keegan introduces 1944) and includes photo-biographies of distinguished and infamous people, such as FDR and Churchill, Hitler and Mussolini. Each year also includes a section called "Then/Now," which seeks to relate some aspect of the war (e.g., war criminals) to subsequent history up to present day. A minor criticism of the book is that these attempts to make the war "relevant" seems a bit of an intrusion in the telling of the larger story.

This collection of outstanding photographs is as moving as it is comprehensive. If you have a deep interest in World War II; if you are looking for an easy-to-digest survey of the entire war; if you enjoy photography as an art form; or if you are moved by depictions of the human condition, to you I recommend this book.

This is one of the best book around about World War 2. Beautiful pictures and well written. A must have for anyone who is a World War 2 "buff" or anyone interested in the subject.

This is the best pictorial history of WWII I have ever seen.
It also includes well written summaries of each year beginning
with 1939.

Since I Love Leaning about WWII it was a great book. It has a lot of pictures but explains about WWII well. So if you want to learn about WWII it is a good book. If you don't just like reading books with words and don't pictures to make it more interesting then it would definatly be a good book. If for some reason you don't like books with a lot of pictures then mabye you should get a different book.

I bought this book as a gift and quickly decided it was inappropriate for the intended recipient. Pictures are very graphic and disturbing. I gave it to our high school librarian and she reviewed it and placed it in an area reserved for teachers and mature readers -- too graphic to be placed on the open shelf. It is appropriate for a mature reader/historian interested in the time period. There is a then and now section that looked interesting - how the events of WW2 influenced recent cultural events and world history.

In world 2 there was a war in Hawaii. (Four star book.) it is all about war and places thats on fire.And the war was long ago. And it has great pictures on the world war 2 book. This bookhas alot of airplanes in it. And it has a map that shows where it was major battle. the battle was amazing, and the war. AND ALSO THE BOOK IS GREAT!