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When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning
kstephensreads's review
4.0
Fascinating book- what a testament to the power of ideas and the written word.
annashiv's review against another edition
5.0
It was amazing to learn about what impact the Armed Service Editions had on America and the soldiers of World War II. I had no idea any of this was happening, and I think it should be taught in history classes, at least a little. It really changed the publishing world and made a lot of soldiers interested in read. I can only imagine what comfort these books had for those soldiers as the sole source of entertainment. I was completely engrossed while reading this account of a forgotten part of the war. I would recommend it to anyone who loves learning about World War II or who is a bibliophile as I am.
inkspots's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
book_concierge's review
4.0
While Nazis were burning books in Europe, Americans were trying to get more books distributed to the men fighting in the war. Their first efforts were a massive book drive, collecting about 10 million books to send to various training camps and overseas bases to support military libraries. But the hardcover books that were donated were too heavy for soldiers to carry into combat. So an unprecedented collaboration was born, including publishers, librarians and the military, and the Armed Service Edition (ASE) was launched.
The ASEs were printed on thinner paper with smaller type, and small enough to fit in a pocket. Soldiers and sailors were eager for this reading material and many wrote letters of thanks to authors, publishers and the council who ran the program.
Manning does a wonderful job of including the history of the times and the challenges faced by the Council, including efforts to censor the books that would be included. I was completely fascinated and engaged from beginning to end. This was an episode of our history about which I had never heard. How I wish I had read this book when my father was still alive, so I could ask him about it; he spent 33 months in the Pacific, making landings from New Guinea to the Philippines and eventually helping with the clean-up in Hiroshima. He hardly ever talked about his experiences, and I know so little about what he went through.
The ASEs were printed on thinner paper with smaller type, and small enough to fit in a pocket. Soldiers and sailors were eager for this reading material and many wrote letters of thanks to authors, publishers and the council who ran the program.
Manning does a wonderful job of including the history of the times and the challenges faced by the Council, including efforts to censor the books that would be included. I was completely fascinated and engaged from beginning to end. This was an episode of our history about which I had never heard. How I wish I had read this book when my father was still alive, so I could ask him about it; he spent 33 months in the Pacific, making landings from New Guinea to the Philippines and eventually helping with the clean-up in Hiroshima. He hardly ever talked about his experiences, and I know so little about what he went through.
alidottie's review
5.0
I loved this story--and even more so because it is true! How wonderful to see such an effort made to bring reading material to the US troops during WWII. Even more wonderful to see how using reading to get relief from their circumstances changed many men into readers who never were before. I love that it changed so many lives for the better when they came home and pursued educations--often influenced by material they read during war.
One of my favorite facts is that the very first book (A-1) in the first series of pocket-sized books that was published specifically for the military was "The Education of HYMAN Kaplan" one of my favorite books. It was fun to hear how the men read it and laughed out loud like I did decades later. Another favorite of the soldiers and of mine was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."
I can't help but wonder how time has changed this. Do troops in remote areas with little outside entertainment read very much today? It is a shame if they don't.
One of my favorite facts is that the very first book (A-1) in the first series of pocket-sized books that was published specifically for the military was "The Education of HYMAN Kaplan" one of my favorite books. It was fun to hear how the men read it and laughed out loud like I did decades later. Another favorite of the soldiers and of mine was "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn."
I can't help but wonder how time has changed this. Do troops in remote areas with little outside entertainment read very much today? It is a shame if they don't.
misspippireads's review against another edition
5.0
The title of this book drew me in right away. On further review the description was very intriguing. Since reading is my biggest pastime, I thought this non-fiction piece would be an interesting tidbit of history. I'm so glad Blackstone Audio made this title into an audiobook. I greatly enjoyed reading non-fiction as an audiobook!
Molly Guptill Manning discovered ASEs while writing her first book, The Myth of Ephraim Tutt. While researching Tutt, she found Tutt's book as an Armed Services Edition. As further research brought more references to ASEs, Manning knew she wanted to know more. (She explains more on her blog.)
I'm so happy she looked into and shared her research about Armed Services Editions and the history around them! I quickly became enthralled with her book. The history began with book burning events in history and ends with the GI bill after VJ day. One of the main themes was WWII being a "war of ideas" and how Americans fought the ideas war.
Manning offers great quotes throughout her book from letters mailed to publishers, authors, war correspondents, and other well-known individuals of WWII. She also shares WWII history beyond the books, which surprisingly are softly tied to reading and ASEs. Reading is an everyday skill and ASEs are only a small part of WWII, but both hold an amazing place in history. ASEs were a key to changing the book publishing history! I never knew that and I doubt I would have found out if not for Manning's book. Yes, there is some overlapping (or repetition) but she covers a lot of material and time in this book. I didn't mind the repetition or jogs between years.
I would recommend When Books Went to War for anyone who is interested in WWII, books about books, publishing, business, banned books, and libraries. I think a wide audience would be interested in this title. Mostly adults will probably read it, but college students and high schoolers might enjoy it as well.
Bernadette Dunne narrates Manning's book. I enjoyed her vocal skills. She was consistent throughout the nearly 7 hours of reading. Dunne shared mild nuisances when portraying writers of letters or individuals sharing small bits of reports and the like. She was a great reader for this non-fiction piece. I would listen to another book read by Dunne. No music accompanied this audiobook and it wasn't needed.
Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Blackstone Audio!
I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Jukebox for an honest review.
Molly Guptill Manning discovered ASEs while writing her first book, The Myth of Ephraim Tutt. While researching Tutt, she found Tutt's book as an Armed Services Edition. As further research brought more references to ASEs, Manning knew she wanted to know more. (She explains more on her blog.)
I'm so happy she looked into and shared her research about Armed Services Editions and the history around them! I quickly became enthralled with her book. The history began with book burning events in history and ends with the GI bill after VJ day. One of the main themes was WWII being a "war of ideas" and how Americans fought the ideas war.
Manning offers great quotes throughout her book from letters mailed to publishers, authors, war correspondents, and other well-known individuals of WWII. She also shares WWII history beyond the books, which surprisingly are softly tied to reading and ASEs. Reading is an everyday skill and ASEs are only a small part of WWII, but both hold an amazing place in history. ASEs were a key to changing the book publishing history! I never knew that and I doubt I would have found out if not for Manning's book. Yes, there is some overlapping (or repetition) but she covers a lot of material and time in this book. I didn't mind the repetition or jogs between years.
I would recommend When Books Went to War for anyone who is interested in WWII, books about books, publishing, business, banned books, and libraries. I think a wide audience would be interested in this title. Mostly adults will probably read it, but college students and high schoolers might enjoy it as well.
Bernadette Dunne narrates Manning's book. I enjoyed her vocal skills. She was consistent throughout the nearly 7 hours of reading. Dunne shared mild nuisances when portraying writers of letters or individuals sharing small bits of reports and the like. She was a great reader for this non-fiction piece. I would listen to another book read by Dunne. No music accompanied this audiobook and it wasn't needed.
Reviewed from an Audiobook Jukebox copy. Thank you, Blackstone Audio!
I received this audiobook for free from Audiobook Jukebox for an honest review.
doritobabe's review
3.0
I am torn between a 3.5 or 4 star rating for this book.
As non fiction goes, it does a good job at cataloging and presenting the book history of WWII. The author clearly did a lot of research into this topic and presents it in an easy to read way. However, as a student of academia, I found myself internally screaming for sources or something (which appear to be at the back of the book but with no footnotes in the actual text) as well as more discussion the literature other than "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (was I ever tired of hearing about this novel by the end especially because I didn't entirely enjoy it myself).
I had to keep reminding myself that the books available during this time were completely different than what is available now, thus the literary needs, wants, likes and dislikes were completely different.
Overall, a very fast read. The content could be presented in another way and I wonder if Manning just wrapped it up succinctly out of pure boredom on her end?
As non fiction goes, it does a good job at cataloging and presenting the book history of WWII. The author clearly did a lot of research into this topic and presents it in an easy to read way. However, as a student of academia, I found myself internally screaming for sources or something (which appear to be at the back of the book but with no footnotes in the actual text) as well as more discussion the literature other than "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" (was I ever tired of hearing about this novel by the end especially because I didn't entirely enjoy it myself).
I had to keep reminding myself that the books available during this time were completely different than what is available now, thus the literary needs, wants, likes and dislikes were completely different.
Overall, a very fast read. The content could be presented in another way and I wonder if Manning just wrapped it up succinctly out of pure boredom on her end?
freckleduck's review against another edition
3.0
This book is a historical account of the role of books and propaganda in World War 2. I appreciated The way it was written, it was very readable. I do wish the notes were more clearly indicated within the chapters, an informative and interesting read the compiles data.