reviews
Dec 13, 2008
Ruth
rated it: 
World War II was the background of my childhood. I was 6 when it started and 10 at the end. At that age, what is, is. I accepted this setting for my young years and never thought about how strange it was to be in this situation. It wasn’t until years later that I began to understand.
Here he interviews soldiers, sailors, marines, men, women, Americans, Germans, Japanese… A full panoply of the participants, no matter what age, no matter at home or in battle.
Studs Terke More...
Here he interviews soldiers, sailors, marines, men, women, Americans, Germans, Japanese… A full panoply of the participants, no matter what age, no matter at home or in battle.
Studs Terke More...
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Dec 18, 2011
Ensiform
rated it: 
A collection of reminisces and insights on the war. It's mostly American, but there are German, Japanese and Russian voices as well. Even so, the years 1939-41 are almost totally ignored, which is a surprising weakness is what is otherwise an immensely important book. The tales told here present hundreds of horrifying, bizarre and amazing images that linger on later. Perhaps the most memorable is the legless ex-GI, deformed from radiation and now become head of the National Association of At
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Jan 13, 2012
My 89 year-old grandfather Joe fought in the war, and I know he's told me a few war stories before, but I'm sad that I can only remember one:
Joe was the head of his infantry, and his little group had gotten their jeeps stuck in a muddy ditch outside of base. They had been pushing for at least an hour, but the mud was really thick. A general from base was calling for their men to report back for lunch in the mess hall. Joe was getting annoyed that it was taking this long for the men t More...
Joe was the head of his infantry, and his little group had gotten their jeeps stuck in a muddy ditch outside of base. They had been pushing for at least an hour, but the mud was really thick. A general from base was calling for their men to report back for lunch in the mess hall. Joe was getting annoyed that it was taking this long for the men t More...
Nov 06, 2011
Ryan
rated it:
A wonderful collection of oral interviews with men and women who participated in World War II, in all places and on both sides. The viewpoints are as varied as the interviewees, their unfiltered words providing a look into facets of the war passed over or incompletely represented by history books and documentaries. One gets a sense not only of what the war was like, but of the politics, culture, attitudes, and everyday realities of the era, a part of the picture all too often muted in war docume
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Sep 28, 2010
Tommccoy26
rated it: 
"The Good War" is advertised as an oral history of World War II as told by veterans and citizens on many fronts - which, technically, it is. However, Terkel seems to have taken a definite anti-war stance with this book. Rather than presenting a balanced view of World War II by telling both the positive and the negative, he has chosen to include interviews with a disproportionate number of veterans who were discriminated against or were treated poorly by their officers; people who wer
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Oct 07, 2009
Daniel
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A great and entertaining book based on first-person accounts of the tortures and pain that many suffered during in World War II. The accounts range from Jews in the halocaust to Japenese-Americanin citizens relocated for matters pretaining to national security after the attack on Pearl Harbor. The accounts also include German, American, Russian(and so on), soldiers that served from the front lines to working back at command. The stories tell of the terrifying demands of some and the hate targeti
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May 27, 2009
Author Annette
rated it:
The Good War: An Oral History of World War 11 by Studs Terkel (Book Review)
This bestseller by Studs Terkel was republished in 1997 by New Press. It won The Pulitzer Prize for non fiction and rightly so. The author presents over 120 interviews with people of all classes and all levels of involvement in World War 11. He interviews people both famous and infamous from both sides to give us as many perspectives as possible. It is a unique collection of primary sources on World War 11 and it More...
This bestseller by Studs Terkel was republished in 1997 by New Press. It won The Pulitzer Prize for non fiction and rightly so. The author presents over 120 interviews with people of all classes and all levels of involvement in World War 11. He interviews people both famous and infamous from both sides to give us as many perspectives as possible. It is a unique collection of primary sources on World War 11 and it More...
Apr 03, 2011
Dan
rated it:
First of all, Studs Terkel is simply a phenomenal name. I can't imagine introducing oneself as "Studs" ever really getting old. I can think of a few professions for which that name seems particularly apt.
In The Good War, Studs puts together a collage of specific experiences and individual perspectives from WWII through excerpts of retrospective first-person accounts of the war. As emotionally intense as it is at times hilarious, this collection of stories reminds me of Al S More...
In The Good War, Studs puts together a collage of specific experiences and individual perspectives from WWII through excerpts of retrospective first-person accounts of the war. As emotionally intense as it is at times hilarious, this collection of stories reminds me of Al S More...
Apr 12, 2009
Marie
rated it:
An absolute must-read. These personal accounts show the varied tapestry of a war - make it something you can relate too. So many years in history classes left me with no real sense of the war - and I certainly couldn't be bothered to remember if the Battle of the Bulge was after D-day or what... no, this book has me understanding the war, knowing its important events and many, many unimportant ones.
The black soldier fired on by white soldiers in a US base on US soil - because they More...
The black soldier fired on by white soldiers in a US base on US soil - because they More...
Mar 27, 2011
Abby
rated it:
Continuing my unintentional theme of World War II, I spotted this book while weeding the 940 section of the library and was reminded that I had been meaning to read it ever since I found out that Max Brooks had based his World War Z on Terkel's style of oral history vignettes. While quite a lengthy book, it is perfected edited and each person's story both stands well on its own and contributes to a broader narrative. Lacking any fundamental statement about the nature of war, Terkel instead cho
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Nov 07, 2011
Will
rated it:
This is a fascinating book, as an alternate perspective on a piece of history that is such an ingrained piece of our cultural memory and that is so often adapted for film & TV that the reality of it can sometimes seem remote. This isn't a history of WW II in the way most histories are. It's a collection of interviews with people who were involved: mostly american soldiers, but also women who became "Rosie the Riveter", Asian-Americans who dealt with the internment camps, and even a few
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Aug 07, 2011
Nama Studs Terkel baru saja saya kenal. Dari buku Tahun yang Tak Pernah Berakhir, saya menemukan namanya di catatan kaki nomer 4 pada Bab Pengantar.
Buku Tahun yang Tak Pernah berakhir sudah 80% saya baca. Pengantarnya khusus saya print agar saya bisa lebih leluasa mencorat-coret. Ketiga editor buku Tahun yang Tak Pernah berakhir, John Roosa, Ayu Ratih, dan Hilmar Farid menuangkan beberapa persoalan metodologis dan teknis tentang sejarah lisan. Pembukaannya mengungkap hal yang tak bia More...
Buku Tahun yang Tak Pernah berakhir sudah 80% saya baca. Pengantarnya khusus saya print agar saya bisa lebih leluasa mencorat-coret. Ketiga editor buku Tahun yang Tak Pernah berakhir, John Roosa, Ayu Ratih, dan Hilmar Farid menuangkan beberapa persoalan metodologis dan teknis tentang sejarah lisan. Pembukaannya mengungkap hal yang tak bia More...
Jun 10, 2009
Read the STOP SMILING interview with Studs Terkel:
BEHIND THE BILLBOARDS
By Danny Postel and JC Gabel
(This interview originally appeared in the STOP SMILING Chicago Issue)
Studs Terkel is “as much a part of Chicago as the Sears Tower and Al Capone,” a BBC journalist once remarked.
Indeed, just as tourists to the “city of the century” throng to the skyscraper's observation deck and make their way to one or another of the gangster's old haunts, man More...
BEHIND THE BILLBOARDS
By Danny Postel and JC Gabel
(This interview originally appeared in the STOP SMILING Chicago Issue)
Studs Terkel is “as much a part of Chicago as the Sears Tower and Al Capone,” a BBC journalist once remarked.
Indeed, just as tourists to the “city of the century” throng to the skyscraper's observation deck and make their way to one or another of the gangster's old haunts, man More...
Feb 22, 2009
Tim
rated it:
Of course it was amazing- it's Studs Terkel. Dood had a knack for getting awesome interviews with such a breadth of people. It took me forever to read this because I've been reading stuff on the side and reading a lot of comics lately, so the beginning of the book is somewhat hazy for me. There was really amazing/crazy stuff in the beginning about the Pacific theatre and the Japanese policy of living off the land (ie. stealing farmers' stuff) wherever they were in the Pacific instead of provi
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Apr 18, 2010
Steven
rated it: 
His oral histories are always good reads because each chapter is a different persons recollection . Its easy to start and stop. Aside from this, I wouldn't call this great literature, but it is wonderful to hear about the personal histories first hand from the narrator. Mr Terkel looks at World War II through the eyes of all involved: front line soldiers, women back home, rich industrialist , homosexuals, conscientious objectors, Japanese, Germans, rich, poor.... every angle.
Jul 03, 2011
Andrew
rated it:
Studs' examination of WW2 showcases a range of opinions that call into question the idea that it was really a "Good War" or that any war could be a good war. The untold stories - the chefs, medical technicians, janitors and clergy - speak how horrific and lacking in humanity our actions sometimes were. Beyond the front lines there are stories that remove the glamour and reveal the pain, this is a remarkably human account of what it's like.
Nov 14, 2009
Ron
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An absorbing oral history of the men and women who experienced WWII at home,on,or behind the battle lines. The memories are not always pleasant ones, but they help those of us who came after to understand how significant and omnipresent the war was in the lives of people over most of the globe. We hear from Americans, Russians, Germans, English, French, and many other nationalities, and we relive the horrors of the atom bomb, as well as that of conventional bombing as it targeted civilian popula
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Sep 13, 2009
Melissa
rated it:
The views from around the world made me feel connected as brothers and sisters. The world is smaller than we know. How could we fight so much? We all cope as humans do with,adversity.
This book is a treasure and a must read for anyone studying WW II One must know the whole story.
A must read for all because we are the same, people.
A very capitvating. Never a dull moment.
This book is a treasure and a must read for anyone studying WW II One must know the whole story.
A must read for all because we are the same, people.
A very capitvating. Never a dull moment.
Jan 27, 2009
Julia
rated it:
Like "A People's History...", this is a book that you might expect to read in a history class. Actually, I did have to read it for a history class. But I found it to be a great read, terribly informative, and Terkel (like Zinn) brings you into the complicated human and moral issues of historical situations rather than simply rattling off dates and names. Gives you great perspective on the war that shaped our contemporary reality.
Jan 02, 2010
Tanner
rated it:
incredible! learned more about the intricacies and absurdities of WWII in this one book than in all of my studies in history. the sheer volume of vastly different voices/perspectives on the war and its origins and consequences will leave you with a much better understanding of what actually happened.
Sep 11, 2010
Andrew
rated it:
Very interesting and informative. When I first started I enjoyed the stories that Terkel recorded, but I was not sure that I would want to read the entire collection. After getting into it I didn't want to stop. Great view of World War II from those that fought it or lived during that time. Interviews include remembrances not just from Americans and soldiers, but from people in other countries as well. I learned a lot about war and how it affects everyone.
Jul 10, 2009
Jody
rated it:
I found this book at a library sale for a dollar and thought it would be worth a try. Once I started it, I couldn't put it down. It is a must read for the histroy student. Studs Terkel had a way of making people talk that was way under appreciated.
Sep 04, 2009
Kathryn
rated it:
A brutally painful read but it should be required reading for everyone.... While I expected this to be hard to read I wasn't prepared (how naive of me) for the racism - toward our own soldiers (of color), by our own country, by our own soldiers.
Dec 04, 2008
Rob
rated it:
Taking it nice and slow on this one--I felt sort of challenged to read this cover to cover, since Eric told me he didn't really read it that way (since it's episodic in nature, the other option is to dip in anywhere and read a story). Anyway--I'm one of those who simply wouldn't consider it "read" if I didn't read all of it, and the only way to ensure that would be a front to back read.
I like it a lot, but it's slow, and boring at times, and so i'm reading lots of other th More...
I like it a lot, but it's slow, and boring at times, and so i'm reading lots of other th More...
Dec 16, 2008
Lori
rated it:
I am not objective about the late great Studs Terkel. I miss him. Why couldn't he have stuck around another 50 years or so? Here is another example where Terkel lets the voices of other people shine through.
Feb 05, 2011
I read this so many years ago that I can't remember what it was like. It is on my list to
be re-read. I was just a little late for this war and my parents talked about it some but
would like to refresh my memory.
be re-read. I was just a little late for this war and my parents talked about it some but
would like to refresh my memory.
Aug 23, 2011
Jin
rated it:
I'm conflicted about this book. It tells the story of World War 2 from the eyes of the people who lived through it and that gives the accounts life, but it also makes them inconsistent in terms of things like tone and view. At times it seems to be less about "This is what I did during the war" and more about "This is what I did. Oh, and I also went through the war." There is no real narrative to speak outside of the individual threads of each account.
But perhaps tha More...
But perhaps tha More...
Jul 31, 2009
Sandy
rated it:
My dad was a WWII veteran and I picked this up to learn more about what it was like. There's something about oral histories and particularly the way Studs Terkel uses them to weave a story that I find really compelling.
Feb 02, 2009
shay
rated it:
a good book about the second world war. done in an oral history, terkel allows the people to speak for themselves and just records their experiences. it was a moving and profound book. i liked it a lot.
Sep 09, 2011
John
rated it:
First time I ever read Studs Terkel. When I was living in Chicago he was the end all of authors. In this book called the Just War, he went out of his way to portray servicemen as ugly Americans. Sad book, sad author.
