一组来自海外的私人信件,揭示了在二战中服役的日常细节。这本书讲述了胜利与失败、爱与失去,是一部卓越而坦率的二战信件合集,由在海外服役的美国男女撰写。在这里,最伟大的一代的希望和梦想填满了每一页,他们的声音响亮而清晰。一名士兵在给妻子的信中写道:“这都是游戏的一部分,但它是血腥和粗暴的。”另一个评论说:“现在穿了两道条纹衣服,像养了五只小猫的老猫一样骄傲。”然而,当许多国家在胜利日庆祝时,这本书揭示了士兵们“太过疲惫和悲伤而无法庆祝”。这些信件充满了这些战士的日常想法,时而令人心碎,时而有趣,时而发人深省,时而令人恐惧。在参观德国集中营时,一名男子写道:“我不喜欢军队生活,但我很高兴我们在这里阻止这些暴行。”与此同时,在另一封信中,一名士兵打趣道:“我知道虱子是不会爬的,所以我以为它们是跳蚤。”这本书恰如其分地向所有退伍军人致敬,它将战争的经历——戏剧性的恐怖、沉闷的艰辛、对美好未来的绝望希望——带入生动的生活。 “An intimate portrait of the mundane and remarkable, of heroism and terror, of friendship and loss . . . Timely, compelling, and important reading.”—Matthew L. Basso, author of Men at Work
《神话与最伟大的一代》(Myth and the Greatest Generation)让人们对汤姆·布罗考(Tom Brokaw)的《最伟大的一代》(the Greatest Generation)等书所树立的二战一代的光辉典范提出了质疑。通过对新闻报道、回忆录、小说、电影和其他文化文物的分析,肯·罗斯显示,二战期间,战争对美国军人和大前线的生活造成的破坏比人们普遍认为的要大得多。种族、劳工骚乱、青少年犯罪和婚姻不忠问题猖獗,黑市繁荣。这本书深入探讨了个人和国家问题,对把第二次世界大战称为“好战争”的主流观点提出了质疑。
这本书遵循了流行的《哈克贝利的日子》(Huckleberry Days),作者以诗意的方式呈现了古老的好方式,以及《不寻常的感觉和美好时光的样本,情感旅行,奇思妙想和更多押韵的东西》。这些,加上“第二次世界大战....”,都可以在网上找到。你只需要发送邮件或输入作者,你会发现它们都很容易获得。记住每一个老兵都知道的,正如内战的谢尔曼所说,“战争是地狱。”永远刻在你的脑子里。没有什么比全面战争更糟糕的了。这是一本关于第二次世界大战的诗史。一些主要的事件呈现在你面前。从日本进攻的“耻辱日”开始,直到我们击退他们后他们投降,我们在非洲和欧洲的南部和西部与匈奴作战。诺曼底登陆后,我们完成了这个任务。 We fought on land, on the sea, and in the air. Our industrial production was beyond compare. This is about Americans, and what we had done. The Greatest Generation persevered 'til the war was won.
最伟大的一代赢得了第二次世界大战的胜利,战胜了大萧条。但是婴儿潮一代呢?他们只知道怎么点高杯脱脂双份拿铁。婴儿潮一代真正的遗产是什么?这本有争议的书唤起了他们给美国文化带来的惊人的巨大变化,把饱受诽谤的婴儿潮一代重塑为一个更伟大的一代,拥有对所有人宽容和平等的持久遗产。再见,唐娜·里德:“对女性来说,婴儿潮时代是一个令人惊叹的变化——仅在一代人的时间里,美国女性就促成了历史上最伟大的社会变革之一。如今女性所能做的事情在四五十年前是无法想象的,充其量只是乌托邦幻想或科幻小说中的内容。”不仅仅是女性:“婴儿潮时期的平等主义规范深刻地改变了男性,并将在未来几代人中继续如此。”作为一种道德价值的多样性:长期以来,美国剥夺了黑人、同性恋和其他少数族裔的尊严和权利,但在婴儿潮一代的时代,我们扩大了这个大熔炉,容纳了那些曾经被蔑视和排斥的人。婴儿潮一代领导了一场文化战争,“颠覆了50年代僵化的社会结构,挑战了几个世纪以来关于种族、民族、宗教和性的根深蒂固的规范和态度。” The Greening of America: Under Boomers, environmental protection has become a powerful new norm in American society. No longer do we tolerate toxic run-offs and progress at any cost. A Freer, More Open Society: Personal freedom, tolerance, openness, transparency, and equality—these are the values of the Baby Boom era, and we live them daily at home, work, school, and in our many relationships. The old ways—the prejudice, narrowmindedness, restrictive sex roles, smoke-filled rooms, double standards, rigid hierarchies—are going, going, gone thanks to Baby Boomers. The media have it wrong: You don't need to fight a war to be a great generation. America today is far more open, inclusive, and equal than at any time in our history, and Boomers are the foot soldiers who made it happen. The Greater Generation tells their remarkable story. "The Greater Generation is a timely, passionate defense of the Baby Boom generation. . . . Leonard Steinhorn reminds us of the essential liberal spirit that defined the Boomers and how they changed our country for the better. In doing so, he illuminates the critical issues that continue to challenge them and their children." —Joe Conason, bestselling author of Big Lies and The Hunting of the President "The Baby Boom generation changed the heart and soul of America. Leonard Steinhorn's The Greater Generation shows us how much better off we all are as a result." —Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class "Steinhorn has written a smart and inspirational book that will be a boost to all Boomers, and will show their children why Mom and Dad know best." —Iris Krasnow, author of Surrendering to Marriage "In contrast to their parents' idealized standing as the ‘greatest generation,' Boomers have been gamely diminished as the ‘worst generation.' And this book shouts ENOUGH!" —Brent Green, author of Marketing to Leading-Edge Baby Boomers