Myth and the Greatest Generation: A Social History of Americans in World War II

Myth and the Greatest Generation calls into question the glowing paradigm of the World War II generation set up by such books as The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw. Including analysis of news reports, memoirs, novels, films and other cultural artefacts Ken Rose shows the war was much more disruptive to the lives of Americans in the military and on the home front during World War II than is generally acknowledged. Issues of racial, labor unrest, juvenile delinquency, and marital infidelity were rampant, and the black market flourished.This book delves into both personal and national issues, calling into questions the dominant view of World War II as 'The Good War'.

About the Author

Kenneth D. Rose is Lecturer of twentieth-century American and social history at California State University, Chico. He is the author of One Nation Underground: The Fallout Shelter in American Culture and American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition.