The Story of World War II : Revised, expanded, and updated from the original text by Henry Steele Commager

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Summary: Every American should read this book
Review: I am a baby boomer, raised watching "The Longest Day" and "Combat". Also, my father is a WWII veteran, so I thought I had some sense of what that war was about. Man, was I wrong. The American public was censored from the extreme violence that occurred in "The Big One", but this book sets the record straight.

The personal narratives of various people who were in the war are the best part of the book, very effectively communicating their experiences. I am in aw of the heroism of the men who fought and shocked by the unbelievable cruelty of our enemies. The only critism that I have of this book are the maps of the battles, which were somewhat unclear.

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Summary: best book ever on WWII
Review: I have just finished reading this book,and I have read a number of books on World War II over the years. The Story of World War II by Donald L. Miller is by far the best it covers every aspect of the war from the invasion of Poland in 1939 to the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, it is well written and very hard to put down. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII or not

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Summary: This is a must read for every American!
Review: I read this book cover to cover in a week. This book is the perfect balance of historical information intertwined with personal stories from the soldiers who were there. It takes you from the first German shot to the atomic bomb in story like fashion. I learned more from this book than I did in all of my college history classes. You will be amazed at the accuracy and details Miller puts into this book. I am also ashamed at myself that I did not completely know the unbelievable sacrifices made by our troops during this conflict. Especially the untold battles in Italy and the Pacific. Also, I have new respect for the role minority soldiers played in combat. True heroes. Buy this book!

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Summary: Great for a general overview of America's role in WWII
Review: I really enjoyed this book. For a long time I wanted to read a general history of the entire second world war, and the nice thing about this particular one is its use of some more contemporary perspectives. The book is split almost evenly between Miller and Commager's informative text and first person accounts by the soldiers and reporters who were actually in these battles. As such it paints a vivid portrait of the asolute hell that the world was so relentlessly plunged headfirst into in the first half of the 20th Century. There is emotion as well as research here, and a nice tribute paid to the black and Asian soldiers who fought on behalf of their country - a country which had, paradoxically, treated them with such disdain. This really is not a comprehensive history, per se, but at about 650 pages for the entire war, it never could be. It is an engaging, enlightening, and disturbing book, though, which is all one could ask from a general history. Lots of pictures and about 25 maps round it out - there could stand to be some more maps, but I used the Cassell Atlas of the Second World War to supplement this with. Another good point is that this is really a high quality book. It is oversized and a bit heavy, and the paper is a thick stock with very easy typeface. The book also lies flat, which might be an important consideration. This was obviously the pet project of someone at Simon & Shuster, because in packaging and presentation this book is a cut above most new history books. A fine volume, and a welcome addition to anyone's library, be it a supplement to other history texts or not. I know that I will refer back to it when I continue my ongoing studies on the Pacific War, and that says quite about about its importance right there.

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Summary: A Great Work
Review: If a person only had one choice of WWII books to read, I would recommend this one. It is a great overview of the major events and theaters of operation. Wonderfully woven into the fabric of events are eyewitness accounts that are very graphically depicted making the reading interesting. Also there is a super bibliography provided. This book will excite you to further reading on many of the events that unfold which is about the highest compliment I can think of for a war history. I agree that Miller revised the original to make it more PC. To this extent the inclusion of the African-American involvement in the war is somewhat "forced" on the reader and stands out as an attempt to be politically correct.

This is a must read for anyone interested in WWII history.

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Summary: Soldier's eye view of the war
Review: Most graphic account of major operations that I've seen. Gives the flavor of war with superbly written passages. Also emphasizes the blunders and who was resoposible for them! Highly recommended for anyone who wants "the real story."

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Summary: The best one-volume history of the war
Review: One-volume histories of World War II are about a dime a dozen. Most of them seem to have the words "Cambridge" or "Oxford" in their titles, ignore the Pacific war, and are deadly dull.

For an American, Miller and Commager's book is the best one-volume history I have found. I say "for an American" because the focus is on battles in which Americans were the participants. The brutal Eastern front and the war between Germany and the Soviet Union get short shrift; the spectacular air, land and sea battles of the war between the U.S. and Japan get equal attention with the Western Front battles in Europe. Miller doesn't spend a whole lot of time on the events leading up to the war. On page 19 Germany invades Poland and the same breakneck speed in moving from one major battle to another continues. The analysis of the strategy and politics behind the war is succinct but adequate to enable the reader to understand the big picture.

What makes this history better than others is the reliance of the authors on the words of the participants in the combat. One half or more of the narrative consists of quotes from eyewitnesses -- mostly soldiers and journalists -- and this gives a worms-eye view of events that seems more valid, and certainly more interesting, that the detached analysis of many writers. This book gives you a good picture and what life was likein the front lines. The text is supplemented by many good photos and maps.

If you are an American and you can only afford to buy one book on World War II, this is the one you want.

Rating:
Summary: The best one-volume history of the war
Review: One-volume histories of World War II are about a dime a dozen. Most of them seem to have the words "Cambridge" or "Oxford" in their titles, ignore the Pacific war, and are deadly dull.

For an American, Miller and Commager's book is the best one-volume history I have found. I say "for an American" because the focus is on battles in which Americans were the participants. The brutal Eastern front and the war between Germany and the Soviet Union get short shrift; the spectacular air, land and sea battles of the war between the U.S. and Japan get equal attention with the Western Front battles in Europe. Miller doesn't spend a whole lot of time on the events leading up to the war. On page 19 Germany invades Poland and the same breakneck speed in moving from one major battle to another continues. The analysis of the strategy and politics behind the war is succinct but adequate to enable the reader to understand the big picture.

What makes this history better than others is the reliance of the authors on the words of the participants in the combat. One half or more of the narrative consists of quotes from eyewitnesses -- mostly soldiers and journalists -- and this gives a worms-eye view of events that seems more valid, and certainly more interesting, that the detached analysis of many writers. This book gives you a good picture and what life was likein the front lines. The text is supplemented by many good photos and maps.

If you are an American and you can only afford to buy one book on World War II, this is the one you want.

Rating:
Summary: A must read for everyone
Review: The Story of World War II is an elaborate narrative of 700 pages describing events that happened during the big war. But be not misguided by the title: the focus of the authors is not as broad as the title promises. The book clearly covers the war seen through the eyes of Americans, whereas typical European events are only briefly mentioned. For example the activities of the European resistance and the horror of the German extermination camps are described in but a few lines, where the war around Japan is covered in numerous chapters. This is not a negative critique, because it is humanly impossible to cover every aspect of the war in one book, but just a warning that the title might be misleading. A better title would have been: Americans in World War II.

That said, The Story of World War II is a brilliant piece of historical work. The set-up of the book is really refreshing: not the historians are telling what did happen, but real witnesses tell their story. Of course everything is weaved together is a correct historical context, but still the real-life reports predominate the book. Not a few times this actually gives the reader a more realistic idea of what human sacrifices where made during that terrible episode of human history. The suffering is at its most vivid in the descriptions of the Japanese prison camps and the attack on the island of Midway. The witness reports from soldiers caught in a capsized war ship during the attack on Pearl Harbor, will be engraved in any reader's memory.

This book is a must read for everyone, because when these memories die, the same terrible mistakes could be made again.

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Summary: America at War
Review: This 'revised and updated' version of the original written by Henry Commager is a prime example of why it is important to understand the origins and biases of the author behind the work. To quote Miller from his preface, "Commager was, understandably, too emotionally involved in the war to write an unsparing acount of it.", and of himself he writes "...I am an American interested in the character and conduct of my countrymen."

This is not meant to detract from the quality of the work. The book is well written, with a consistent style. It is hard to tell where Commager leaves off and Miller picks up. The narrative is heavily supported by relevant passages and quotes from the soldiers and journalists involved in the action. It provides a feel for the actual events (at least as far as print can do that).

In order to fully understand historical events it is necessary to understand the various viewpoints. This book, written by Americans, primarily for Americans, presents a valuable view of one facet of the jewel that is history.