The vivid voices that speak from these pages are not those of historians or scholars. They are the voices of ordinary men and women who experienced—and helped to win—the most devastating war in history, in which between 50 and 60 million lives were lost.

Focusing on the citizens of four towns— Luverne, Minnesota; Sacramento, California; Waterbury, Connecticut; Mobile, Alabama;—The War follows more than forty people from 1941 to 1945. Woven largely from their memories, the compelling, unflinching narrative unfolds month by bloody month, with the outcome always in doubt. All the iconic events are here, from Pearl Harbor to the liberation of the concentration camps—but we also move among prisoners of war and Japanese American internees, defense workers and schoolchildren, and families who struggled simply to stay together while their men were shipped off to Europe, the Pacific, and North Africa.

Enriched by maps and hundreds of photographs, including many never published before, this is an intimate, profoundly affecting chronicle of the war that shaped our world.

5 Responses to “The War: An Intimate History, 1941-1945”

1. Big-D says:

   May 21, 2009 at 12:00 am

   If you like WWII history, this book is for you. Makes a great coffee table book.
2. San Antonio man says:

   June 2, 2009 at 12:00 am

   Too much narrative about what was wrong with the U.S. during the war vs. stressing the sense of duty and dedication to seeing victory. The book focused on issues such as Japanese detainment camps, woes of the blacks during the War, etc. Very little was mentioned about how the U.S. as a whole pull together to ensure victory. Instead of feeling uplifted by the monumental feat of pulling to country together to win the war, I walked away feeling depressed. Ken Burns once again wrote and directed with a leftist vs. American slant. All part of why this country is heading in the wrong direction.
3. Paul D. Tople says:

   July 16, 2009 at 12:00 am

   This book preserves history for future generations… I gave it to a WWII full Bird Colonel and he became emotional while looking through it.