Personal Perspectives: World War II

(Hardback)

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Description

A compelling account of the personal experiences of groups who were affected by World War II, both on and off the battlefields. World War II spanned continents and engulfed civilizations. Millions lost their lives and for many others life was irreversibly altered. From the Flying Tigers air group to USO entertainers and orphaned children, there were shared experiences of catastrophe, pain, defeat, and triumph. Yet different groups experienced the war in dramatically different ways, facing their own unique challenges and consequences. Personal Perspectives: World War II brings to life the experiences of specific segments of soldiers and civilians as they were affected by the conflict, capturing special characteristics of each group and the unique ways they experienced the war. Twelve essays written by top international scholars portray what it was really like to experience the war for groups ranging from marines, naval aviators, and liberators of concentration camps to prisoners of war, refugees, and women in factories. Of interest to both students and nonexperts, the book tells the stories of Japanese-Americans forced into internment camps and African-Americans who experienced intense discrimination, the call to activism, and opportunity in the armed forces. It offers the perspectives of Navajo "code talkers," diplomats like U.S. ambassador to Poland Anthony J. Biddle, who fled his post to avoid death, and scientists who worked on the Manhattan project, who introduced the most destructive form of warfare known to humanity.

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"This volume would fit in nicely in either a reference or general circulating collection." - American Reference Books Annual

Author Bio

Timothy C. Dowling, Ph.D., is assistant professor of history at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. His published works include ABC-CLIO's forthcoming Personal Perspectives: World War I.