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
H
Huntington Beach Public Library
Drag items up and down to your preferred order then select the "Save Order" button.

1

Agent Jack : the true story of MI5's secret Nazi hunter
Hutton, Robert (Journalist)
Paper Book
"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
Paper Book
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
Paper Book
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

Faster : how a Jewish driver, an American heiress, and a legendary car beat Hitler's best
Bascomb, Neal
Paper Book
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...

5

The great secret : the classified World War II disaster that launched the war on cancer
Conant, Jennet
Paper Book
The gripping story of a chemical weapons catastrophe, the cover-up, and how one American Army doctor's discovery led to the development of the first drug to combat cancer, known today as chemotherapy. On the night of December 2, 1943, the Luftwaffe bombed a critical Allied port in...

6

Half American : the epic story of African Americans fighting World War II at home and abroad
Delmont, Matthew F.
Paper Book
The definitive history of World War II from the African American perspective, written by civil rights expert and Dartmouth history professor Matthew Delmont. Over one million Black men and women served in World War II. Black troops were at Normandy, Iwo Jima, and the Battle of the Bulge, serving in...

7

Hitler's American friends : the Third Reich's supporters in the United States
Hart, Bradley W.
Paper Book
A book examining the strange terrain of Nazi sympathizers, nonintervention campaigners and other voices in America who advocated on behalf of Nazi Germany in the years before World War II. Americans who remember World War II reminisce about how it brought the country together....

8

The race of aces : WWII's elite airmen and the epic battle to become the masters of the sky
Bruning, John R.
Paper Book
The astonishing untold story of the WWII airmen who risked it all in the deadly race to become the greatest American fighter pilot. "A heart-pounding narrative of the courage, sacrifice, and tragedy of America's elite fighter pilots." --James M. Scott, New York Times...

9

Uniting America : how FDR and Henry Stimson brought Democrats and Republicans together to win World War II
Shinkle, Peter
Paper Book
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...

10

We're in this war too : World War II letters from American women in uniform
Litoff, Judy Barrett.
Paper Book
Veterans' Day, 1993. The Vietnam memorial, Washington, D.C. Tearful thousands gather for the unveiling of a new monument, a long-overdue tribute to the women who served in Southeast Asia. The event was a powerful reminder of the importance of women in the war--and of its emotional role in their own...

Library staff! You can create and contribute to lists. Contact your catalog administrator or log in here.