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When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II by Molly Guptill Manning
annesbooks's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
2.0
The book was interesting at some part but sometimes a bit too focussed on prasing the soldiers and the military effort instead of informing about the actual books that this is about. Also, I didn't realise before going on that this was a very American story, the perspective is therefore limited and very good vs bad focussed. Not my favorite non fiction.
erboe501's review against another edition
3.0
This book could have been condensed into an even shorter one. An almost 7-hour audiobook really could have been 5.5 hours if Manning were to cut out all of the straight war history parts. I suppose this boils down to the reader's background in WWII history. If you've taken history courses before, you'll know most of this already. What I wanted to learn about was how books factored into the war effort. And the book did deliver on this. I learned that paperbacks came into popularity as a result of the Army editions printed for the service men. Books were considered a vital aspect of keeping up men's morale. Cool facts, but they could have been conveyed along with less elementary background history.
sparklelys's review
5.0
Ever been stuck in an interminable wait (pre-smartphones) and just found yourself desperately wishing for a good book?
During WWII, among their many atrocities, Nazis burned millions of books. American librarians campaigned and collected books to send overseas, and then publishing companies stepped up and created an amazing ASE program, Armed Service Edition paperbacks -- thousands of copies of specially curated selections to read, pass around, and share with townspeople. Their choices continue to influence modern reading lists -- for example, Gatsby was virtually forgotten until thousands of copies were reprinted for ASE. Copies were cut into sections so multiple people could work their way thru a book at the same time.
During WWII, among their many atrocities, Nazis burned millions of books. American librarians campaigned and collected books to send overseas, and then publishing companies stepped up and created an amazing ASE program, Armed Service Edition paperbacks -- thousands of copies of specially curated selections to read, pass around, and share with townspeople. Their choices continue to influence modern reading lists -- for example, Gatsby was virtually forgotten until thousands of copies were reprinted for ASE. Copies were cut into sections so multiple people could work their way thru a book at the same time.
southern_librarian's review
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
This was an absolutely fascinating look at the large part books played in WWII. I love books and even I was skeptical at the start that a full-length book on so narrow a subject (or so I assumed) could be captivating. But it was! I had no idea. There was drama and intrigue behind the scenes as the committee was established to first collect book donations and then to administer a program of printing books exclusively for servicemen. And there were so many heartwarming stories of how these ASEs (American Services Editions) were lifesavers to the troops. I truly remained interested in each new chapter and couldn't recommend this bookishly patriotic read more highly. :)
brandifox's review
4.0
A delightful celebration of the power of literature and a birds eye view of WWII. It is particularly timely now, but a great book about books any time you have a hankering for such a thing.
my_reading_journey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
erincataldi's review
4.0
A quick, albeit repetitive, book highlighting the importance of books in wartime, specifically America's use of books during WWII. Publishers printed millions of paperback books to send over to American troops and they proved popular beyond belief. Soldiers fought and hoarded them, it was their only entertainment and reprieve from the hellish war they were fighting in. Many soldiers wrote authors praising them and thanking them for helping get them through war. It was really interesting to learn about librarians war and crusade for books as well as the military response. Enlightening and just goes to show how important books really are.