World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia [2 volumes]

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Description

More than 150 articles provide a revealing look at one of the most tempestuous decades in recent American history, describing the everyday activities of Americans as they dealt first with war, and then a difficult transition to peace and prosperity. The two-volume World War II and the Postwar Years in America: A Historical and Cultural Encyclopedia contains over 175 articles describing everyday life on the American home front during World War II and the immediate postwar years. Unlike publications about this period that focus mainly on the big picture of the war and subsequent economic conditions, this encyclopedia drills down to the popular culture of the 1940s, bringing the details of the lives of ordinary men, women, and children alive. The work covers a broad range of everyday activities throughout the 1940s, including movies, radio programming, music, the birth of commercial television, advertising, art, bestsellers, and other equally intriguing topics. The decade was divided almost evenly between war (1940-1945) and peace (1946-1950), and the articles point up the continuities and differences between these two periods. Filled with evocative photographs, this unique encyclopedia will serve as an excellent resource for those seeking an overview of life in the United States during a decade that helped shape the modern world.

Reviews

highly recommended for purchase by all public and academic libraries. * Library Journal *
An excellent resource for highschool, public, and undergraduate libraries. * Booklist *
An accessible and substantial guide to this often-studied period * School Library Journal *
W.H. Young and N.K. Youngneatly cover the decade in some 180 alphabetically arranged entries spread over two well illustrated volumesHighly recommended. * Choice *

Author Bio

William H. Young, PhD, is an independent scholar, professor emeritus of American studies, and the coauthor of five books dealing with American social history and popular culture for Greenwood Press. Nancy K. Young, EdD, is an independent scholar and management consultant.