by E.B. Sledge
Reviewed by Bruce Lesh

In such a visual age, sacrifices made during war are often reduced to images of limbless soldiers, exploding body parts, or blind charges into enemy lines. Films such as Wind Talkers, Thin Red Line, Pearl Harbor, and Saving Private Ryan–although useful classroom tools for examining memory, image, and interpretation—visually paint what is often told more comprehensively in text. E.B. Sledge’s With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa provides a ground-level view of the war in the Pacific and does so in a manner that will make a long-lasting impression on students, generate classroom discussion, and challenge students to reconsider the racial nature of the Pacific War.

Written as a memoir for his family, E.B. Sledge’s gripping tale of his time in the United States Marines was composed from notes written during the war, collected in his copy of the Old Testament, and hidden in a waterproof bag. Organized into two sections, the book is ready-made for classroom use. Part one examines Sledge’s travels from civilian life to the Marine Corps and eventually to the invasion of Pelieu. The second part finds the First Marine Division invading Okinawa. Both sections move the reader quickly through the battles and allow students to gain insight into the motivations of the soldiers. Sledge’s ability to place the reader in the maelstrom of war helps students understand the true emotional, physical, and psychological costs of war.

If time constraints, curricular standards, or students’ reading abilities make lengthy reading difficult, the book is ripe for excerpts that could be organized into categories such as soldiers’ view of the enemy, American battlefield tactics/strategies, conditions particular to the War in the Pacific, and Japanese strategies and methods. These excerpts allow students to develop a picture of the Pacific War from the soldiers’ point-of-view and then use this picture to reconstruct a more expansive history of the war. In addition to its utility as a unique source on the Pacific War, sections of the With the Old Breed could be compared with the documentary treatment of the Pacific War found in the PBS’s The American Experience Installment, Victory in the Pacific, or with Elizabeth Norman’s We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of American Nurses Trapped on Battan by the Japanese. Each source provides both points of comparison and contrast with the image depicted in Sledge’s reminiscence. In addition, by utilizing a local veteran’s organization, teachers could facilitate a visit by a veteran of the Pacific War to compare and contrast their experience to that described by Sledge.

For teachers, the greatest shortcoming of Sledge’s memoir is its failure to place the events depicted into the larger political and military struggle of the time period. Students, even reluctant readers, will be drawn into the mind of the Marines fighting in the Pacific, but will need instructional guidance to place Sledge’s narrative into the broader political, military, and diplomatic contours of the war. In addition, when considering adopting the text as part of a United States history course, teachers should be aware that With the Old Breed contains both graphic language and disturbing depictions of war, and brutality. The book may require consideration of parental concerns, district policies, and the age appropriateness of the material being utilized. Despite concerns over the big picture coverage proved by the book and the necessity for considerations about content, the book provides a well written and thought provoking analysis of the battle for the Pacific and will be remembered by your students when they have long forgotten island-hopping, Iwo Jima, and other aspects of the war.

by David M. Kennedy
Reviewed by Bruce Lesh

Freedom from Fear: The American People in World War Two, Volume 2 examines the political, military, diplomatic, economic, and social changes related to the United States’ role in the Second World War. Kennedy is not only talented at synthesizing recent scholarship; he is also a gifted writer. A compelling narrative drives the book and makes it an enjoyable read for educators. Teachers new to United States History, or those looking to breathe life into tried and true approaches, would both be well served by reading Kennedy’s book.

Kennedy skillfully weaves the intricacies of diplomacy and the sacrifices on the battlefield without ever losing sight of the depth of the historical actors involved. He is equally adept at providing the telling statistic about economic mobilization while simultaneously focusing on the personal sacrifices demanded by the war. Teachers should note that this is not a full telling of the Second World War—the internal policies of many of America’s allies and enemies are left out—but this was not Kennedy’s intention, and his coverage of the American role is substantial.

The chapters “The War of the Machines” and “The Cauldron of the Home Front” are tremendously useful for teachers looking to restructure their approach to the home front during World War II. Replete with stunning statistics and insightful anecdotes, both chapters provide the deep content that can crystallize for students the enormity of the mobilization of war and its attendant impact on the outcome. Of interesting note, is Kennedy’s treatment of the Manhattan Project in the context of the American War machine’s growth and development. Traditionally this element of mobilization and technological growth is left in the paragraph prior to the dropping of the bomb. By placing the decisions related to the development of an atomic bomb in the context of the other efforts to prepare the United States armed forces, students are able to appreciate the manner in which the bomb was conceived, developed, and delivered for use. Including it in the discussion of American mobilization makes far better sense and is an important consideration when organizing content for a unit on World War Two.

“The Cauldron of the Home Front” addresses the impact that a war to end fascism had on relations between the races in the United States. Deftly moving from the rationale and implications of Executive Order 9066, to the growing resistance to Jim Crow and the nascent Civil Rights movement, and finally to the expansion of opportunities for women that the war fostered, Kennedy crafts a sweeping overview of how a foreign war facilitated changes in traditional domestic mores. The chapter concludes with a sobering analysis of the relationship between American political decision makers and the Holocaust. Kennedy clearly examines the imbedded anti-Semitism within the United States government, the timing of American awareness of the scale of devastation taking place in German occupied Europe, and the multi-faceted reasons for American inaction. This section of the chapter is ripe for use in the classroom. Students could read Kennedy’s interpretation of America and the Holocaust, compare it with the primary source quotes provided at the PBS’s American Experience segment America and the Holocaust website, and begin a deep exploration of this important—but often untaught, portion of American History. In these two chapters alone, Kennedy’s book provides teachers with an opportunity to refresh and/or deepen their knowledge of the Second World War and simultaneously revisit the stories they convey and the organization of their instructional program.

Although dividing the text into two volumes reduces the intimidation factor generated by the 800 page original, the book is still inconsistent with the reading and motivational abilities of most high school students. It is an exceptionally well-written book, and portions would be useful background reading for Advanced Placement students. Other segments could be used to supplement often scarcely told stories found in textbooks, but in its entirety, it will challenge most high school students. For educators though, Kennedy’s single volume on World War Two, and his entire book on the Depression and War, should be required reading. The book provides an opportunity to refine their understanding of this critical time period, provides useful material for classroom use, and promotes consideration over how curriculum could be ordered to best encourage student understanding of this pivotal time period.

by Douglas Brinkley
Reviewed by Phil Nicolosi

In The Boys of Pointe du Hoc, historian Douglas Brinkley masterfully links the events of June 6, 1944 to Reagan’s famous speeches commemorating the fortieth anniversary of D-Day on June 6, 1984. Brinkley claims that Reagan’s speeches started the renewed interest in the World War II’s “greatest generation,” culminating in numerous books, films, documentaries, and memorials since then. As history teachers, we often find ourselves trying to justify to students why history is important and why we should learn about and remember certain people and events. Brinkley’s book provides us a resource to face those classroom challenges.

Brinkley tells the gripping story of James Earl Rudder’s 2nd Army Ranger Battalion who climbed the jagged cliff at Pointe du Hoc in the face of Nazi fire to help liberate Europe. He then links that moment in time with events four decades later when Reagan delivered what many consider to be his finest speech to the “Boys of Pointe du Hoc” at that very site. What makes this book outstanding for classroom use is the variety of ways teachers can employ it to show students that history matters, that people are products of their time, and that events of years ago still directly affect us today.

The book is essentially written as two stories. For the 2nd Ranger Battalion story, Brinkley uses available primary sources such as accounts of their training and mission, their photos, and their personal letters, placing the reader at the scene in 1944. Students will be drawn to the story; the outcome may be certain, but the drama remains. The second part of the book focuses on events and people who influenced Reagan in his younger days in 1944 and on the construction of his famous speeches in 1984. This story, too, is riveting. From Reagan’s background and his admiration for FDR, to speechwriter Peggy Noonan’s word choices, Brinkley captures almost every emotion that goes into commemorating an event.

A classroom teacher will find this book a genuine asset not only in teaching the content of the 1940’s and 1980’s, but also in helping students to see how a nation “remembers” its history. Brinkley includes the Pointe Du Hoc speech in the Appendix, so students can read the account of the events in the book, compare Brinkley’s work as an historian to the speech itself, and discover how a professional historian or a President retells “memories.” It may also be beneficial for students to select “soundbites” from the speech and justify why their selections proved so memorable. Teachers will find the photos and the full text of letters useful for capturing the emotional component of war from those who experienced both the war and the remembrance. For instance, the daughter of a D-Day veteran who visited France in 1984 wrote one particular letter, which inspired Reagan. She wanted to see what her father, who died a few years earlier, had always talked about. The full text of this letter is included in the book. It is the type of source selection that gives Brinkley’s text such power. Brinkley understands the importance of such a source, but teachers will also see its usefulness because it allows students to see the personal side of history and that common people can do uncommon things.

Just as Trumbull’s painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence helped capture the eighteenth century’s “greatest generation” approximately forty years after the original event, Brinkley’s work provides us with a highly readable, primary source-filled account of events forty years apart. When Ronald Reagan referred to D-Day in his Farewell Address, he warned that we, as a nation, cannot forget our past. “We won’t know who we are,” he declared, for a loss of an American memory “could result, ultimately, in an erosion of the American spirit.” High school history teachers will find this book useful in making exactly this point to their students.

by William M. Tuttle Jr.
Reviewed by Phil Nicolosi

Daddy’s Gone to War: The Second World War in the Lives of America’s Children, a uniquely and thoroughly researched book by William M. Tuttle Jr., covers a broad spectrum of the trials and challenges on the home front during World War II. From the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the soldiers returning home after the war, Tuttle tells the story of the home front through the eyes of those who experienced, and vividly remember, the sights, the smells, and the strong emotions that accompanied it. What makes Daddy’s Gone to War different than other books on the home front is Tuttle’s very original approach of focusing on how children were affected. By gathering over 2,500 recent letters from adults all over America who were children during World War II, Tuttle effectively uses other’s memories of a tumultuous time in US History to capture the essence of the long lasting impression this war had on America’s children.

Tuttle clearly acknowledges that he could not rely on the letters alone to write the book. In the preface, he admits that the letters were invaluable for uncovering the anonymity that hides regular people from view. He supplements these letters with the big-picture historical dimension as well as the insights derived from the other social sciences, particularly psychology. Tuttle incorporates his experiences studying psychology into his work as an historian and thus was able to take those memories and apply current psychological research to explain why and what people remember. He states that what is important is not only what happens in a child’s life, but when (at what age) the event occurs. Distinct to his writing is how each chapter not only covers home front challenges, but he also explains how these issues affected children of all ages – from toddler through school age.

Each chapter comes alive with the voices from those who experienced the events. For example, one of the chapters challenges the traditional notion that there was “one” America during the war. Tuttle examines how Americans were clearly divided by race, religion, class, gender, ethnicity, and sometimes even within individual households. Tuttle adds the recollections of so many people from all over the country who remember, but perhaps didn’t understand at the time, the often unfair treatments of Americans by society and the government.

A very dense and sometimes statistics-laced read, high school students will find it very challenging and probably, at times, a bit dry. There are also sections of certain chapters where Tuttle vividly describes the racist, anti-Semitic, anti-German, anti-Japanese and anti-Italian language and propaganda. Even though history can and should make us uncomfortable at times, that language and those topics should be approached carefully in a classroom setting as those references could easily trigger sensitivities.

A quick glance at the table of contents and one will see the topics clearly outlined. Carefully excerpted, these chapters could be of great value for anecdotes and statistics to enhance classroom lecture. A classroom teacher can use many examples from the chapters to explain the very conflicts and issues, which confronted American children of nearly every race, religion, ethnicity and social class. It may even be of greater value for the teacher to use parts of each chapter to demonstrate how the war affected the everyday life of school aged students around the same age of those we teach.

In addition, a teacher will surely want to use parts of the preface where Tuttle outlines his methodology and describes his use of recent letters from World War II children, who are now adults. It will surely open class discussion on the importance of historical memory and the reliability of accounts recalled many years later. His methodology will certainly demonstrate that traumatic events and childhood memories will stick with a person for many generations, often waiting to be recounted and retold. Daddy’s Gone to War gives the reader the chance to reflect on the uniqueness of history as a discipline, yet shows how other social sciences can be used to enliven and enrich the past. As Tuttle states, “the historian’s activity is an artistic one” and an historian’s explanation is one that satisfies us because it brings the variety of human experiences to life.