December 1941: 31 Days That Saved America and Changed the World by Craig Shirley, Thomas Nelson, Inc.: Nashville, 2011. Reviewer: Robert Marx. BookSneeze® provided me with an advance free copy of the book for review purposes.
The events that brought America into the Second World War unfolded quickly in December 1941 with obviously far reaching consequences. Shirley writes of the major events that occurred each day of that pivotal month but blends the war news with cultural and popular tidbits. The rage in the newspapers are given a fresh viewing of a time distant yet so near that living eye witnesses still abound.
Shirley’s book places a fresh view of those years which seem so long ago yet have great meaning to our time. The popular culture of baseball, rationing, blackouts, and the coming of the “arsenal of Democracy” comes into view with the use of newspaper ads and stories. Conversely, the time saw a great expansion of newspapers as people hungry for war news snapped up copies of the newspaper. The economy actually changed with certain occupations such as automakers and confectioners changed into munitions workers and bakers. Unemployment virtually became erased overnight yet people had to change, if only because most women had to work to fill the spaces left by all the war bound men. The shadow of isolationists’ and “the America First” crowd became much reduced but not completely eliminated. Shirley has written a real page turner for readers who enjoy a good story, and it is essential reading for lovers of history who will enjoy the references to common culture throughout the book.
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