David M. Kennedy (1) (1941–)

I have to say that I'm disappointed in this book. I've read David Kennedy's [b:Freedom from Fear: The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945|106317|Freedom from Fear The American People in Depression and War, 1929-1945|David M. Kennedy|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1366907871s/106317.jpg|102483] and thought it was great depiction and analysis of America during the Depression/New Deal era. So I had high hopes for this "part 2." I expected much talk of the "home front" immediately prior to, during, and immediately after WWII. I ended up with some political analysis of America during WWII, but mostly a poor, one-volume history of the conflict focusing on America's role in the Grand Alliance. The fact that Kennedy relies heavily on Morison for much of his Pacific War discussions just adds insult to injury. There's no excuse for a book published in 1999 to not provide a broader analysis. While we do get some insights into FDR and the country, and how the war changed both, it wasn't enough for me. Kennedy even says at the beginning of the biography that WWII literature is extensive, so why didn't he give us more details from more sources in a narrower scope?… (meer)

Another Oxford History of the US entry, this one covers the Great Depression and World War 2. Those are the decades that fundamentally changed America in a way that will probably never happen again - we have grown too big, too complacent, and though reading through the section on the start of the Depression will have you punching walls in frustration at how little people seem to have learned, it seems like against all odds maybe we have retained a tiny bit about the value of a safety net and the dangers that can result from corruption and poor policy. I wouldn't say that the part about World War 2 is definitive in the same way that McPherson's volume on the Civil War is definitive, but it certainly tries to cover as much as it reasonably can.… (meer)