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When Books Went to War

the Stories That Helped Us Win World War II
Feb 13, 2017VaughanPLDavidB rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I obtained an uncorrected proof of this book a couple of years ago, and I've just gotten around to reading it. What an eye-opener! I am a librarian and I was totally unaware that such a massive undertaking had taken place. We are all at least vaguely aware of the massive mobilization of men and materiel for the war. What most people I think are not aware of is the essential contribution of the provision of immense quantities of books to the morale of those in the armed services. Not only did the Armed Services Editions program improve morale, but it flew in the face of the Nazi's concerted efforts to restrict ideas, down to the outright burning of books. This program literally created an army of readers and played no small part in making America the economic juggernaut it became when all those men returned from overseas.