the way you changed my life

[musesfool]

We're battening down the hatches for another snowstorm tonight, and I was talking to a co-worker who complained that the NYC public schools have been really reluctant to close this year for weather, and I was like, man, when I was a kid, they NEVER closed. Like, okay, the blizzard of '77, yeah, and Hurricane Gloria in '85, but other than that, I

Comments

[redbrunja]

Thank you for this post - I am in a similar situation where I know a lot of facts about WWII but don't have a very good overview of the conflict at large, so Inferno sounds perfect. (I'm reading another general history of WWII, but it doesn't use primary sources and thus far has a clear - but admitted - bias towards the US servicemen).

[musesfool]

As long as you don't mind the focus on military history, it's a really compelling read, and the primary sources are quite varied.

[redbrunja]

That sounds like exactly what I'm looking for.

[flighty_dreams]

If you're looking for some TV to fill out your current WWII kick (and haven't seen this yet), I recently watched the HBO series Band of Brothers and thought it was amazing. Sure, it's not going to give you an overall objective picture since it's focused on Easy Company in particular, but it's still totally worth experiencing. I knew so little of the Battle of the Bulge, so that part of the series was pretty eye-opening. What I loved too was that they started each episode with interviews of veterans from Easy Company, so you hear about events in their own words.

I'm also going to check out The Pacific series whenever I've got some time available, since I heard good things about that show as well. I went to the WWII museum in New Orleans over the holidays and if you're ever in NO, that's a great place for giving you the overall history of the US involvement in both campaigns. I definitely learned some things I knew little about before visiting, particularly regarding the War in the Pacific.

[musesfool]

Oh, I love Band of Brothers. I actually usually rewatch it around this time of year. ♥WINTERS♥

I haven't watched The Pacific yet, mostly because I just can't with Jon Seda, but I hear he doesn't ruin it or anything, so I'll get around to it eventually.

I went to the WWII museum in New Orleans over the holidays and if you're ever in NO, that's a great place for giving you the overall history of the US involvement in both campaigns. I definitely learned some things I knew little about before visiting, particularly regarding the War in the Pacific.

Oh cool. I didn't know about that. If I ever to to New Orleans again, I will go there!

[furies]

if you want non-fiction, "russia's war" by richard overy is the best about stalingrad and that whole thing. it's an easy read too - not too bogged in academic language. anything you can find by christopher thorne is superb. "a world at arms" is the best overview of the war i have ever come across, but it's like, 900 pages because it covers every. part. of the world. for wwi, you have to read "goodbye to all that" by paul fussell. but to get a good idea about the war itself, niall fergueson's "the pity of war" is a good one. wwi is harder to find because it was so . . . convoluted. i have soo many more recs if you need them. my favorite period in history (i have some fiction, but i am such a nerd about history that it makes it hard sometimes . . .)

war without mercy by john dower is a great great history of the pacific too. it's about race, too. man. i seriously love this time period!

[musesfool]

Thank you for the recommendations! *makes a list* I'll let you know if I need more.