940.53-940.54: World War II Experience in America (2023)

The following list contains books, published in the last 5 years, that discuss American life leading up to World War II. Books in this list will spotlight Americans who participated in the war effort and include works that discuss the various experiences of Americans between the years of 1939 and 1945.

Updated June 22, 2023
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Huntington Beach Public Library
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1

Agent Jack : the true story of MI5's secret Nazi hunter
Hutton, Robert
"An appealing mix of accessibility and research. [Hutton] has illuminated a fascinating and often appalling side of the war at home." -- Wall Street Journal The never-before-told story of Eric Roberts, who infiltrated a network of Nazi sympathizers in Great Britain...

2

The bastard brigade : the true story of the renegade scientists and spies who sabotaged the Nazi atomic bomb
Kean, Sam
From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes the gripping, untold story of a renegade group of scientists and spies determined to keep Adolf Hitler from obtaining the ultimate prize: a nuclear bomb.   Scientists have always kept secrets. But rarely have...

3

Countdown 1945 : the extraordinary story of the atomic bomb and the 116 days that changed the world
Wallace, Chris
The #1 national bestselling "riveting" (The New York Times), "propulsive" (Time) behind-the-scenes account "that reads like a tense thriller" (The Washington Post) of the 116 days leading up to the American attack on Hiroshima, by Chris Wallace, veteran journalist and...

4

The darkest year : the American home front 1941-1942
Klingaman, William K.
The Darkest Year is acclaimed author William K. Klingaman's narrative history of the American home front from December 7, 1941 through the end of 1942, a psychological study of the nation under the pressure of total war. For Americans on the home front, the twelve...

5

Fallout : the Hiroshima cover-up and the reporter who revealed it to the world
Blume, Lesley M. M.
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2020 New York Times bestselling author Lesley M.M. Blume reveals how one courageous American reporter uncovered one of the deadliest cover-ups of the 20th century--the true effects of the atom bomb--potentially saving millions of...

6

Faster : how a Jewish driver, an American heiress, and a legendary car beat Hitler's best
Bascomb, Neal
Winner of the Motor Press Guild Best Book of the Year Award & Dean Batchelor Award for Excellence in Automotive Journalism For fans of The Boys in the Boat and In the Garden of Beasts, a pulse-pounding tale of triumph by an improbable team of...

7

Half American : the epic story of African Americans fighting World War II at home and abroad
Delmont, Matthew F.
. Winner of the 2023 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in Nonfiction . A New York Times Notable Book . A Best Book of the Year from TIME, Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Washington Independent Review of Books, and more! The definitive history of...

8

The race of aces : WWII's elite airmen and the epic battle to become the masters of the sky
Bruning, John R.
The astonishing untold story of the WWII airmen who risked it all in the deadly race to become the greatest American fighter pilot. In 1942, America's deadliest fighter pilot, or "ace of aces" -- the legendary Eddie Rickenbacker -- offered a...

9

The rise of the G.I. Army 1940-1941 : the forgotten story of how America forged a powerful army before Pearl Harbor
Dickson, Paul
In September 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland and initiated World War II, a strong strain of isolationism existed in Congress and across the country. The U.S. Army stood at fewer than 200,000 men--unprepared to defend the country, much less carry the fight to Europe and the Far East. And yet,...

10

The train to Crystal City : FDR's secret prisoner exchange program and America's only family internment camp during World War II
Russell, Jan Jarboe
The dramatic and never-before-told story of a secret FDR-approved American internment camp in Texas during World War II, where thousands of families--many US citizens--were incarcerated. From 1942 to 1948, trains delivered thousands of civilians from the United States and Latin...

11

UNITING AMERICA
SHINKLE, PETER
The untold story of the most crucial bipartisan alliance in United States history. As Adolf Hitler's Nazi armies threatened Europe, Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt urged a divided America to mobilize to defend democracy and freedom. Many Republicans accused FDR of...

12

We hereby refuse : Japanese American resistance to wartime incarceration
Abe, Frank
"Deftly upends the compliant narrative with impeccably documented stories of resistance and rebellion ... Made urgent yet again, the trio's courageous refusals to accept the U.S.--their!--government's heinous miscarriage of justice should irrefutably embolden new generations ... Their collective...

13

Winter war : Hoover, Roosevelt, and the first clash over the New Deal
Rauchway, Eric
The history of the most acrimonious presidential handoff in American history -- and of the origins of twentieth-century liberalism and conservatism

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