Product Description

The World War II home front revisited, with a skeptical appraisal of the "Good War" as a watershed in a nation's history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #503133 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
In a brief but sweeping summation of the ways in which WWII affected the nation's course and character, Jeffries, a professor of history at the University of Maryland, examines the conventional wisdom that the war was a watershed in the country's history that established the U.S. as a world economic and political power, expanded federal power at home, gave impetus to the drives for civil liberties and women's rights and laid the basis for decades of prosperity. Among social changes were increased divorce and juvenile delinquency, displaced small farmers and businessmen, a new reign of bureaucracies and the growth of the sunbelt. Jeffries argues that many of these changes were already in the making and not solely attributable to the war. In a style accessible to students and others new to this historical debate, Jeffries offers a good synthesis of arguments. Ultimately, he considers the "watershed" notion as an oversimplification of enormously complex factors that now distinguish the nation from its prewar past.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Jeffries (history, Univ. of Maryland) analyzes the home front both during World War II and in postwar life. He discusses the "good war" and what that really means. He explores Americans' mobility during the war as they relocated to work in defense plants, creating population shifts still evident today. He also takes up such topics as the expanding economy, women, and African Americans and other minority groups. The larger picture portrayed by Jeffries emphasizes the war as a turning point in American history. "A Note on Sources" serves as the concluding chapter, however, it does not take the place of documenting the facts presented throughout the book with footnotes or endnotes. This detracts from the credibility of the work. An optional title for history collections.?Dorothy Lilly, Grosse Pointe North H.S. Lib., Mich.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
A trenchant, lucid, and persuasive analysis. -- John Morton Blum, author of V was for Victory

Beautiful...answers more questions than any other book about World War II. -- William M. Tuttle, Jr., author of “Daddy’s Gone to War”

Both summarizes and modifies existing interpretations. It will become the standard account, the point from which future scholarship will evolve. -- Roger Daniels, author of Prisoners Without Trial

Customer Reviews

Contrasting perspective
I found Jeffries' work to be lucid, informative and well written. Unlike the previous review, I was able to digest this work in an afternoon. The author does provide an alternative case for some popular history. But in fairness, his work offers the reader insights into the mindset and context of Americana circa 1941-1945. I wish Jeffries had expanded on the implications of EO 9066 in some greater depth, but that is a personal observation only and should not be construed as a negative reflection on his work. I compliment the author on his citation of sources which should provide the serious student with an abundance of further leads. Very much worth a look.

TAKING OFF THE ROSE-COLORED GLASSES
John Jeffries examines the popular views of WWII as the "Good War" and as a watershed that led to rapid change in American society. His look at the economics may be dry, but the demographics are fascinating. He suggests that changes in prosperity, advances in science, and increases in federal power ushered in a time of big government, big business, big farming and vast social change for women and minorities--but the change was already under way. Chapters on geographic mobility and minority groups are particularly helpful in showing how these changes fit into the larger picture of American history. Was it a "Good War?" Recent books like The Greatest Generation pay a well-deserved tribute to the men and women of the era, but contribute to a misleading rose-colored view of the time. Jeffries' book adds fact and realism that lead to a clearer picture of the time.

"Wartime America"ÿ
This book took me three months to read. It was so dry and boring it put me to sleep. The book contains no charts, no photos, nothing but text. It was part of an assignment for a college lesson. I'm embrassed to admit I chose this book because it was thin, yet the subject was over the topic I wanted. After I read it, I didn't find the deepth it promised. Its view was off in left field. If I was going to point out any one thing I learned for this book I'd say, size doesn't always make a book easy."ÿ