America at War: The Homefront

Chronicling the social, economic, and political impact of World War II on the American home front, this four-volume series opens in 1939 as isolationist policies allow the United States to profit from the escalating war in Europe while remaining militarily uninvolved, a process which ultimately led America out of its long economic depression. Successive volumes explore the rapid transformation of the U.S. into a war machine following the attack on Pearl Harbor, including a look at: consumer goods shortages, women working for the war effort in defense industries, changing social values that led to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, and Hollywood's efforts to educate the public, sell bonds, boost morale at home and abroad, and serve as a propaganda machine. The final volume opens with an examination of the racial tensions during and after the war that helped give impetus to the civil rights movement of the '60s, before moving on to the postwar industrial boom, the GI bill, the expansion of the middle class, and the evolving political climate that led to the Cold War, Korean War, and, finally, Vietnam. Narrated by famed news reporter Eric Sevareid, America at War: The Homefront, which is packed with newsreel and archival footage, as well as excerpts from radio, movies, and propaganda films, presents a thorough examination of social life, prevailing attitudes, and popular culture during the war years, and would make a terrific addition to WWII collections. Recommended. [Note: This is the same series that was released by PBS as America Goes to War: The Homefront--WWII.] Aud: J, H, C, P. (L. Stevens)