The American Homefront During WWII by C D Peterson is look at how American life was affected by the Second World War on many levels.

As someone who doesn’t have a lot of knowledge of this time in history, I found the reading informative and interesting, shining lights on certain things I would have never considered previously when thinking of this time. It covers the life’s of women who suddenly found themselves at the forefront of the workforce, to the children who found joy in collecting scrap metal and victory gardens to the men whose lives were forever changed.

If you’d like an informative look into the time period, I highly recommend this book.

NetGalley, Abigail Tyn

There are extensive endnotes, detailed acknowledgements and some wonderful photos. The attention to detail once again is a feature. The American Homefront makes a good contribution to Pen & Sword publications.

NetGalley, Robin Joyce

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The American Homefront During WWII - Blackouts, Ration-books and Rosie the Riveter by C D Peterson is a fascinating insight into the experience of WWII over the pond.

Having read extensively about this very subject (and listened to anecdotes by so many around me) there was a real feeling of sturdy fortitude and endurance throughout the great wars, of pulling together, making use of what you had and following the rules for the preservation of soceity as we knew it against a common enemy.

This was certainly reflected in the American experience and whereas there was not the threat of the Blitz or regular bombing raids, that the UK and Europe had been subject to since the commencement of war on 1 September 1939, there was still a huge, unprecedented and brutal attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941, which spurred the US to join the war effort on 11 December 1941 and ultimately contribute to the defeat of Hitler's evil regime. The delay in joining the war effort was not intentional, but rather a division between those believed the US should be involved in the effort and those who believed it should not.

I never knew that the US also had air-raid drills before this book (due to the restrictions in flight at that time) but this was certainly an eye-opener for me, as were the awesome accounts from those who lived through a time not only of great danger, but huge social change (after all, women and people of colour were needed to enter the workforce - and indeed, the 50s saw the rise of the Civil Rights movement and the 60s saw the Womens Liberation movement)

WWII was a global effort against fascism and the common spirit of togetherness, against the evils of oppression and the holocaust brought everybody together to contribute to the war effort through posters, rationing and cultural icons that endure to this day (I actually have a poster of Rosie the riveter up on the wall of my office!) The huge difference between the American and UK experince, was this ability to kick back and have fun through music, movies and icons.

This was such a good book and really enlightening. The flow was easy to read and so very engaging. Absolutely recommend.

NetGalley, Ink Reads