| Title | : | The Home Front: Life in America During World War II |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Audible Audio |
| Number of Pages | : | 8 |
| Publication | : | First published September 6, 2017 |
The Home Front: Life in America During World War II Reviews
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An 8 hour and 15 minute audiobook, a compilation of a series of podcasts on the topic.
This is a mixture of actual period recordings of American citizens prior to, during, and after the second world war, interspersed with historians providing context.
I always wondered why Americans were so isolationist during the rise of Hitler and the start of his territorial expansions. This book nicely explained it- that the fake propaganda of made up atrocities during WW1 (atrocities blamed on the Germans by the Allied and American press and authorities that never occured) made Americans skeptical of the claims about Nazi atrocities. Furthermore Americans were more concerned with the rise of Communism in both Europe and in the United States, than they were concerned about Nazism. So many saw Hitler as someone that would provide a counterweight to communist expansion westward. It makes more sense now without the application of hindsight bias.
Overall this well put together program was quite informative and I really enjoyed it. I felt it was fairly curated for what they decided to cover in it and how they chose to do so. -
A podcast style Audible Original. Martin Sheen is the narrator/host, but much of it is from oral history projects. I wasn't sure if I'd like this as many oral histories date from long ago with sketchy audio quality and I'm already familiar with the time period.
I ended up really liking it. In addition to the standard tales of the pre-war isolationism, shock about Pearl Harbor, and the country coming together and making sacrifices to defeat the Axis, there were stories of various minorities (African Americans, Japanese, women, Mexicans) and the unique challenges they faced.
The stories of transition to post-war life were especially illuminating. The economy had surged as weapons were made during the war. Once the war was over, factories started cutting down and laying off workers. The economy switched over to consumer driven and, looking back, the roots of our culture of disposability are clear. In order for the economy to grow, people had to be convinced to constantly buy things. They were and they do.
I also learned about Let There Be Light, a film made by John Huston. The Army had him film veterans at a psychiatric hospital on Long Island. They hoped that showing successful treatment would show potential employers that they shouldn't worry about hiring vets. In the end, they became more concerned that the realistic look at the results of war would make recruiting difficult and they banned the film. It was eventually released in 1980 and a restored version in 2012. It's free to watch on YouTube and well worth an hour or so to watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQPoY... -
Very insightful regarding the details and events within the United States during WWII. Not my favorite format, but the narrative was great.
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I’ve read a lot of histories focusing on World War II. Most of them deal with what life was like back in the U.S. while soldiers fought the war in, at most, a chapter. Many of them ignore the U.S. home front completely, focusing on the greater deprivation felt in European countries. The experiences of civilians in the rest of the world tends to get ignored. This book seeks to rectify that omission in the United States and it does a very good job of it. It holds itself together with a mild political narrative because the country is often reacting to that large structure of Hitler’s invasions and FDR and Congress’ responses. But the heart of the books and most of the skeletal bones focuses on what it was like to be called up for service, to join the factory lines, to be imprisoned because you’re a Japanese American, to deal with rationing, to see loved ones go, and return different if they returned at all. It’s a worthy contribution to the works on World War II.
If you liked this review, you can find more at
www.gilbertstack.com/reviews. -
My favorite non-fiction listen of the year. So many seldom discussed elements of the home front life and consequences of WWII on domestic American life. My only disappointment is that since it is an Audible original, I can't discuss it with my friends!
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I really enjoyed how this book began. I was unaware of some of the connections between WWI and some of the attitudes that led to isolationist attitudes in the U.S before WWII. Then the stories started to feel preachy and the tone of the book began to focus almost solely on prejudice and bigotry. There is no denying that were issues in our country in the 1940s with racism, sexism, and lack of education, as our country was forced to grow and change. My family suffered from some of those prejudices. While it is undeniable that those things occurred, I felt that the collection of stories failed to paint a holistic picture of our country during that period. I felt that the choice to focus on those stories painted an unbalance picture of U.S. society and one that tended to look at those issues of injustice through the lens of 2017 morals and understanding. This is too close to revisionism for my taste and I did not finish.
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A truly eye opening and interesting look at life in America during WWII. I loved the oral history interviews, the historians, and the narration by Martin Sheen. So many topics are covered, such as the draft, attitudes towards Jews and Blacks, women going into the workforce, the building of the atomic bomb, the US economy during the war, and life for the soldiers and civilians once the war was over. This was a free audiobook on Audible and one of the best Audible Originals I’ve listened to.
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To be fair, this is not really a book, it’s a series of podcasts with credits at the end of each episode which is annoying.
Still, with its interviews from people living back then along with many recordings from the time, it takes you back to the war years on the home front in the United States in a way that a book couldn’t. It really is fascinating and there is always something new to learn.
The dark side of the American experience during that time period is on full display. I have no problem with that. There is plenty of rah-rah, we’re so wonderful, greatest generation stuff out there. If that’s what you’re looking for, you won’t have a difficult time finding it.
A pretty good “read.” -
I usually don't like the free audible originals that you get every month with your membership but this one was very informative. It was interesting to hear actual recording from era of WW2.
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Audible Originals are usually dopey podcasts or too cute-by-half celebrity vanity projects (they often remind me of the spoof "Namesake" tapes Christopher St. Hudgins listened to in "Spinal Tap.")
Every now and then though you get something that's actually worthwhile that could really only be done in an audiobook format. "The Home Front" is still a podcasty collection of episodes, but instead of two people just riffing, we have a collection of intensely interesting source recordings from WWII spliced together to cover various aspects of the American homefront during WWII. You get "man on the street" interviews following Pearl Harbor, excerpts from FDRs fireside chats, reminisces from workers at Oak Ridge, bits of Churchill and Hitler's speeches, Father Coughlin radio broadcasts, newsreel reports, and everything in between.
There are also the obligatory clips from narrator Sheen and various historians that tie the historical clips together thematically and while there's a bit too much deification of FDR (I mean, it's permissible to say he utterly failed in turning away Jews fleeing the Holocaust), the overall value of the project is high and it's a very enjoyable endeavor. -
Learned a lot!
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This audible presentation is a series of podcasts, rather than the reading of an actual book. It has recorded interviews from individuals during WWII and gives a really interesting perspective of life in the US during that time. I really didn't get much of a World History education where I grew up, so this was the first time all those terms like Hiroshima, Pearl Harbor and WAACS were put together into a storyline for me. The perspectives of women and minorities were especially interesting to me. The story told in this series is probably skewed to celebrate those particular perspectives and maybe under represent others. But, I enjoyed the presentation and would recommend it to others.
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A compilation of first-hand narratives and documentary audio from life in America during WWII. I learned a lot of lesser-known facts. The war is presented as experienced by many groups: Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, German-Americans, Japanese-Americans, women. Very interesting.
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I have to say I learned a lot from this production. I had no idea how much racism and sexism took place during world war II. these things just aren't addressed in the movies. it makes you wonder why Hollywood has chose not to tell these stories.
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If you love learning about history, then this audiobook is definitely for you! It was long and very well done!
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The story of World War II has been well-mined by historians over the past 80 years. It’s hard to provide a new angle on the action, yet this series of podcasts does just that. While many histories focus on stories of foreign battles, this history tells America’s domestic challenges around the war. It does so using audio footage of interviews from people at the time. While I’ve heard some of these narratives before (e.g., women undertaking industrial work), many of the episodes covered ground that was new to me. Compiling these stories concisely in one place will be an asset to readers in future years.
This series of podcasts gather original source information from disperse archives, each with its own angle on the war. Thus, it can say, through primary sources, what it was like to live in America during World War II. Many accounts of domestic life are whitewashed with a strong, but false sense of united patriotism. This account avoids that by sharing the anxiety and hardships firsthand in observers’ very words and voices.
America transformed because of the war. Racism and sexism were exposed. The infrastructure of scientific research changed. American isolationism, prevalent after World War I, receded. The military grew dramatically and remained large even after V-J Day. Each of these storylines is handled with care using first-hand accounts. Yes, you’re able to hear the voices of people in that time expressing their thoughts on then-current events.
Again, a broad take on the domestic narratives of the war is one that has not been well explored in prior accounts. Each episode’s main storylines has been explored, but this rendition weaves them together and preserves them for future generations. This is a real contribution to American historians, to students learning about the war, to writers of historical fiction, and to curious Americans. The first-hand accounts convey a sense of uncertainty that is often not shared when telling the story of World War II. They show how our society has grown because of the war and how we risk relapse if these lessons in the future aren’t conserved. -
I'm not a fan of most Audible Originals. I don't like the performance format w/ a cast of characters. The Home Front is an excellent Audible Original with the feel of a documentary TV series or film. The narration by Martin Sheen was excellent. His voice is pleasant to listen to, and the narration is accompanied by music and audio clips from the time period, radio clips and clips of some of FDR's speeches, and interviews. It felt like binge-watching, and I tore through The Home Front in about 2 weeks of half hour work commutes. I listened to this audiobook daily on my commute.
The Home Front focuses on the social and economic situation, the flux of public opinion, and political aspects of life "back home" in America. Major events are highlighted - D-Day, the bombing of Hiroshima - but the most time is spent on the attack on Pearl Harbor. D-Day is only briefly mentioned. Events are always connected back to American life and how people lived in the U.S. during the war. The Home Front explores how average Americans supported the war effort by rationing and buying war bonds and how women found a role in the workplace but also how racial segregation pervaded the U.S. military and American bigotry toward immigrants, including refugees. In the aftermath of the war, life in America would never be the same. Veterans returned home different people from when they left. Divorces spiked even as the prelude to the Baby Boom. The G.I. Bill was inequitable. However, common aspects of normal American life today - the U.S.'s military might and consumer economy, Social Security, and even acronyms and slang Americans still use - are ripples originating from World War II.
I rated the performance 4 stars on Audible because some of the recordings from the time are mumbly and difficult to understand, even at high volume. Also, I can understand why other reviewers were bothered by the credits at the end of every episode. Could have been edited for Audible to be less of a serial listen and more of a documentary listen.
Interesting and engaging. I learned new things right up to the end. I felt like I could have listened straight through. I wanted more and was bummed when it ended. 5 stars overall. -
Reposting after the deletion of 12 Audible Originals Dec. 17-19, 2019.
Goodreads purged about 12 (that I could identify) Audible Original audiobooks (and their ratings/reviews) at the end of the year 2019 as they apparently did not meet guidelines. Those audiobooks that have been converted from podcasts are apparently the main issue. Others that are short stories, novellas, memoirs or audio productions of theatrical plays may be restored or relisted. This current edition of The Home Front is a relisting/new listing. Thanks to Goodreads and SuperLibrarians who listen to appeals!
Original Review:
Excellent Audio Documentary
Review of the Audible Audio podcast edition (Orig 2017 / Members Special Sept 2019)
This was superbly done with narrator Martin Sheen adding a Presidential gravitas to the introductions and descriptions. The audio enhancements of radio broadcasts from the 1930's and 1940's made them sound like present day recordings.
This covered everything from the initial non-interventionist / pro-Germany activists, through Pearl Harbor, the gearing up of American industry and its effect on women workers, the development of the atomic bomb in the Manhattan project, the racism against Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps, the rejection of Jewish immigrants, the racism against Black and Latino-Americans (in the latter case especially in the bizarre Zoot-Suit riots), the return of traumatized veterans to their homes and the subsequent effect on the workforce as military industries closed down but when working life would never be the same again.
The Home Front was one of the free Audible Originals available to members in September 2019. It was originally released in September 2017. It is available to everyone for a standard price. -
This is going to be a difficult one to review, because its cheating a little. When I got it, I didn't realize it was actually more of a podcast than a book. This was one of the free Audible downloads I got a few months ago, which are surprisingly well produced. I liken these to the self publishing that people do on Amazon (even though I hate amazon, and now I'll be blocked because Amazon owns both Audible and Goodreads), where they give away their work free for a limited time. Some of it is spectacular, and some of it is...well...don't bother.
This audio book is about the home life before, during, and after World War II. It is a scathing rendition of what everyone seems to think as the golden age. Where soldiers were perfectly well adjusted when they got back, there were no issues with class or race, and the government told everyone the truth. It shows that we, as a society, tend to view things through a rose colored lens, and just because the war skyrocketed us into being the biggest power in the world, that power came with a price. The US changed during that time period, about half for the good and half for the bad and we are in the midst of coming to that realization now. There is some brutal language, and some vivid imagery so if that bothers you, please stay clear, but otherwise it is a wonderful story, narrated beautifully with many first hand experiences. -
Before WWII, the American military force was ranked 19th in the world. When the president of Chrysler was asked if they could build tanks for the army he responded, "I don't see why not. What's a tank?"
I enjoy historical fiction and many are set in this era, so I decided to give this a listen.
For me, this was a good refresher of American history during this time period, and I was pleasantly surprised how much I learned while exploring the dramatic impact the war had on American culture. The early chapters are a bit slow, but I really appreciated the context they gave for later chapters.
The mix of narration, expert interviews, and historical recording was a unique and enjoyable format. The radio recordings of Americans sharing their views on the war were a treat. Now that we have access to platforms like Twitter, this may seem mundane, but this was the first time in history citizens were able to communicate with the President in this way. Listening to their views and President Roosevelt's fireside chats was an interesting perspective that I didn't read about in a history textbook.
I was surprised just how many changes the war led to that can be connected to American culture today. Martin Sheen's narration is a perfect fit. I recommend giving this a listen! -
This is another repackaging of a series of podcasts or possibly webcasts. This time, it's the history of World War II. It's not, however, a history of the events of the war. It's rather a history of what was happening in the USA during the lead up to the war, and the war itself. There's a lot of good information here, and even some things I hadn't been very familiar with previously. I was completely unprepared for the discussion, for instance, of the expectation of how much trouble there was going to be with reintegrating all of the returning soldiers, including a prepared for "crime wave" by a group of men who had been taught to be violent killers. Wow. This would not have had the impact it did but for two things: one - the narrator was Martin Sheen, and two - much of the detail came from oral histories. We heard the real people sharing their thoughts. These came from interviews Studs Terkel did for a book, and from the Rosie the Riveter World War II American Home Front Oral History Project of UC Berkeley. Anyway, this was enjoyable to me, the closet-history freak.
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This was surreal to listen to during the Corona Virus situation. There are a lot of parallels between the two, probably between any national/global crisis, fear and uncertainty being the most notable. It really struck home what it must've been like to live during Pearl Harbor, all the false news reports, rumors and fear. I remember some of the same fears from 9/11 but now realize how much worse it must've been knowing that instead of a relatively small group of suicidal terrorists, this was an attack by a foreign military, and most of the attackers survived and were still out there somewhere, ready and able to attack again.
Personal observations aside, this series does an amazing job of walking the listener through all the ups and downs of Americans at home during the war and even a little about the soldiers who came home and what they had to deal with once they got back. -
This was a surprisingly excellent take on the world war two experience. Using interviews, historical data, and archival audio clips, this is probably one of the best multimedia attempts I've seen at translating the WWII experience. Martin Sheen doesban excellent job as narrator, which is no surprise, but it's the mix of all of the different sonic elements that make this really work. Additionally, this touches on some very tough subjects from the world war two era, including the treatment of women, minorities, and the shifting of mores throughout. Highly recommend for anybody who would like a good overview of the home front experience during the war.
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This was fascinating! To start, though, this isn't an actual "book." It's more of a docu-series where each chapter addresses a different aspect of life on the home front during WW2, being told by the survivors. As a history major who is fascinated with 20th century cultural phenomena in the US, I found this absolutely intriguing! I learned a LOT about the Home Front. It wasn't all roses and stars 'n' stripes; there was actually quite a bit of persecution of various groups.
If you're a WW2 buff, you just might enjoy this! -
This audiobook presents an unusual perspective in giving a voice to those who supported, opposed and did their own part to support their families and country from home. Their story was a reflection of the history which indirectly was being written, moment by moment on lands thousands of miles away. While the future of humanity weighed in the balance, the less heroic and recognized sacrifices on the home front were critical in keeping the manufacturing, supplying of our military and the economy of the United States functioning. This was a very interesting listen.
