World War II (1931-1945)
“The Second World War presented a mirror to the human condition which blinded anyone who looked into it.” — Norman Mailer, “The White Negro: Superficial Reflections on the Hipster” (1957)
Of the endless ocean of books on the Second World War, we have dozens and dozens of new and carefully chosen titles. I define it as beginning with the Japanese Empire’s invasion of Manchuria and ending with not only V-E and V-J Days but also the immediate crises of displaced people, the Soviet Union’s creation of the Iron Curtain, and the growing revelations of the extent of the Holocaust.
In significant ways the Second World War was the defining crucible of the 20th Century. The First World War was prelude, the legacy of the 19th Century’s imperialism, and the Cold War was the sequel. Of the making of books about it there is no end — but the persistence of good research and good writing, and good publication underscores the war’s centrality of the world we live in today and the world our descendents will live in for the foreseeable future.
DVD -- Ernie Pyle: A Life in the Trenches
DVD -- Ernie Pyle: A Life in the Trenches
He is known as “America’s storyteller.” Famed WWII correspondent Ernie Pyle remains one of the most accomplished and beloved journalists in American history. Ernie Pyle: Life in the Trenches tells the story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist who reached millions each week with stories about ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things.
Pyle is best remembered for his firsthand reports from the foxholes alongside American troops during World War II. He is also celebrated for his writings as he travelled across the US during the lean years of the Great Depression, revealing the trials and triumphs of hundreds of common Americans. This documentary chronicles not only the bloody battles in Europe and Japan, but also the internal battles Pyle constantly faced with alcoholism, depression, and a troubled marriage.
Ernie Pyle: Life in the Trenches includes notable interviews with the late Walter Cronkite and Andy Rooney, as well as a number of World War II veterans, contemporary journalists, and historians. The film also reveals rarely seen photographs, film, and correspondence between Pyle and his colleagues. Through two of the darkest chapters in America’s history, the voice of Ernie Pyle became the voice of the American people—a voice of promise, grit, and determination.