"The Good War"
an oral history of World War Two
by Studs Terkel · first published 1984
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3HN commenters
2012–2025first – last mentioned
100% recommend
Studs Terkel, a master of the interview, talks with a wide variety of people and learns about their opinions and experiences regarding World War Two - how it affected the lives of those who lived or were born during that period of human history.
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I've been reading Studs Terkel's The Good War, an oral history of WW2, and there are some incredible interviews with members of the Manhattan Project in it. At least at the beginning, they really thought Germany would beat them to the bomb.
on “A Manhattan Project Veteran Reflects on His Atomic Bomb Work” ↗Not a novel but The Good War by Studs Terkel. It’s the antidote to fairy tale historical accounts of WW2.
on “The Trap of Fairytale Victory Endings in Historical Fiction” ↗And "The 'Good' War" by Studs Terkel, a comprehensive masterpiece of individual perspective.
on “The Real War 1939-1945, by Paul Fussell (1989)” ↗The Good War by Studs Terkel offers interesting perspectives on WW2, relies on interviews with citizens of America who lived through the times.
on “WW2 Meteorology” ↗Studs Terkel's collection of interviews with various populations of the USA in The Good War is a good antidote to overromanticization of World War 2 conditions.
on “How the US built 5k ships in WWII” ↗