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History Wars: The Enola Gay and Other Battles for the American Past Paperback – August 15, 1996

by Edward T. Linenthal (Editor), Tom Engelhardt (Editor)

4.1 52 ratings

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From the "taming of the West" to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, the portrayal of the past has become a battleground at the heart of American politics.

What kind of history Americans should read, see, or fund is no longer merely a matter of professional interest to teachers, historians, and museum curators. Everywhere now, history is increasingly being held hostage, but to what end and why? In History Wars, eight prominent historians consider the angry swirl of emotions that now surrounds public memory. Included are trenchant essays by Paul Boyer, John W. Dower, Tom Engelhardt, Richard H. Kohn, Edward Linenthal, Micahel S. Sherry, Marilyn B. Young, and Mike Wallace.

Print length

295 pages
Language

English
Publication date

August 15, 1996
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.68 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

080504387X
ISBN-13

978-0805043877
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“In their illuminating explorations of contemporary American struggles with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, these essays contribute to much-needed nuclear-age wisdom.” ―Robert Jay Lifton

“Informative and compelling.” ―Eric Foner

“A stimulating and revelatory work.” ―Studs Terkel

About the Author

Tom Engelhardt edited History Wars and Dilemmas of Domination from Henry Holt and Co.

Edward T. Linenthal is Edward M. Penson Professor of Religion and American Culture at the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh. He is the author of Sacred Ground: Americans and Their Battlefields and Preserving Memory: The Struggle to Create America's Holocaust Museum.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Holt Paperbacks; First Edition (August 15, 1996)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 295 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 080504387X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0805043877
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.68 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #422 in Historical Essays (Books)
- #775 in Historiography (Books)
- #11,495 in World War II History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 52 ratings

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4.1 out of 5

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RCD

Great price

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2023

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I needed this for a course at school, it was way lower priced than they wanted at the university bookstore.

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The Professor

Highly engaging and a bit foreboding

Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2009

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This is a collection of essays centered around the controversy that surrounded the Smithsonian's plans to display the Enola Gay for the 50th anniversary of the end of WWII. It highlights how politically charged the past has become, and the fundamental controversy that has grown up between those who wish to keep rose-colored glasses on the look at the American past and those who want to look at all of the past, not just the victorious parts. This is a frustrating but highly engaging read for both historians and the general public. It might raise your hackles a little, though.

4 people found this helpful

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bemare

Great information

Reviewed in the United States on December 18, 2015

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As a graduate student, this book was useful in providing information about the use of public history in society. It was also a very interesting read.

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Michael Griffith

Valuable Information Mixed with Left-Wing Attacks on Conservatives

Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2020

I would have given this book five stars were it not for all the liberal attacks on traditional values, on the Vietnam War, and on conservatives in general. The first four chapters are the best in the book. The last four chapters say little of substance about the nuking of Japan; instead, they spend most of their time attacking traditional values, the Vietnam War, and conservatives in general.

As the book does acknowledge, albeit rather briefly, there were plenty of liberals who joined in the attack on the Smithsonian's first four versions of the Enola Gay exhibit. As a traditional conservative, I am a bit embarrassed that so many leading conservatives, including some I greatly admire, chose to defend Harry Truman's decision to nuke a devastated, prostrate anti-communist Japan without warning and without first trying to achieve an acceptable negotiated peace.

As a military veteran myself, I can understand how veterans who believed their lives had been saved by the nuking of Japan were misled by the Air Force Association and the American Legion into believing that the Smithsonian was questioning their sacrifice and service. There were other ways to end the war without using nukes and without an invasion, but Truman chose not to pursue any of them. Once you understand this fact, there is no reason to view criticism of Truman's decision to drop the bomb as an insult to veterans who served in the Pacific War.

2 people found this helpful

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T. G. Cline

Historiography done right

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2014

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This book is required reading in many Public History courses, and for good reason. Many students of history remain painfully ignorant of the political battles which have shaped education about US History and public memory in general, and Linnenthal does a fantastic job of bringing this shadowy conflict into the light. For anyone interested in public history, the nature of museums and memorials, or a desire for a more in-depth look at this subset of the Culture Wars of the 1990s, this book is a must-read.

4 people found this helpful

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Steven L. Swinehart

Inaccurate or Disingenuous?

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2022

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I have to question whether the author is simply ignorant or purposely deceptive. The accuracy of the entire book is questionable when the author makes the statement that the claim of the Truman administration that 500,000 lives were saved by the use of the atomic bomb could not be supported. Historically, both Herbert Hoover and William B. Shockley were asked to do casualty estimates for invading Japan. Both came up with numbers in the hundreds of thousands for deaths and extrapolated 4x the amount in casualties (wounded or lost in action), A truthful explanation is that any number desired can be found in estimates from different sources. MacArthur's estimate of 30,000 casualties per each 30 days of action was purposely low and didn't include navy or air force casualty numbers - meaning lower numbers are no more accurate than the higher numbers. There is also the statement tbat both Admiral Lehy and Eisenhower were against the use of the atomic bombs. Again, this is not completely factual. Both Lehy and Eisenhower's statements were made years after the use of the bomb, and could have no effect on Truman's decision to use the bomb. In fact, Eisenhower's statement is especially controversial as it may be attributed to faulty memory or an attempt to burnish his personal reputation. Eisenhower was, by his own admission, not familiar with the Pacific War; was not privhy to either Ultra or Magic (military or diplomatic) decryptions of Japanese messages, and made the atomic bomb statement years after its use in his memoirs. At no time did he tell the Secretary of War, Henry Stimson, his feelings as Stimson kept a highly detailed and accurate diary of his meetings and no where in Stimson's diary does Eisenhower's objection appear. Given this level of innacuracy, selective use of information or omission of easily verified facts, the book in total becomes questionable as to its intent.

3 people found this helpful

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Thomas C. Harter

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2015

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Well written and makes you think about what history really is.

One person found this helpful

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hsirrapyesdnil

Public Stewardship and Ownership of Common History

Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2008

First of all, this book isn't really about the Enola Gay, or honestly about any of the events that happen within the chapters. This book is about pubic ownership of common histories. When the Enola Gay bombed, for instance, the dominant culture was behind act. Still today, many people are in favor of the act, but in our public spaces, there are of course those who see it differently. This book is about how museums display public history; and, this book is about several problems with perspective that have arisen from narrow minded portrayals of a history lived by many more than the dominant culture. It is a good book worthy of a fair reading. History can both unite and divide our country. It is important that we at least consider the two sides. If you are considering any type of museum career, this book is a very important read.

15 people found this helpful

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