Pub. Date: September 2015
Hardcover: 500 pages
ISBN: 978-1-61925-741-2
Price: $160.00
EBook ISBN: 978-1-61925-742-9 EBook Vendors

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This new addition to the This is Who We Were series provides the reader with a deeper understanding of day-to-day life in America from 1940 to 1949. Readers will uncover what life was like for ordinary Americans as they lived through World War II at home and abroad, as well as the Post-War Era at home.

Collecting information from government surveys, social worker histories, economic data, family diaries, letters, newspapers, and magazine features, This is Who We Were: In The 1940s assembles a remarkable personal and realistic look into America’s past. This new volume features 26 profiles of people living and working during the 1940s, painting a complete picture of what it was like to live in America in this period. These stories portray both struggling and successful Americans from various economic classes, occupations, and regions across the country, capturing a wide range of thoughts and emotions.

This new reference source is divided into five major sections, preceded by a thorough Introduction and an essay that details significant people and events of the decade, and followed by a detailed Bibliography and alphabetical Index.

Section I, Personal Profiles, contains 26 profiles of individuals and families from the 1940s, beginning with a brief introduction that anchors the text to the year provided. Then, each profile is arranged into three categories, all detailing thorough information about the person profiled: Life at Home, Life at Work, and Life in the Community. Profiles include: a Glassblower in 1940, a Shipbuilder in 1942, a High School Sophomore in 1944, Overcoming Prejudices in the U.S. Navy in 1945, an African-American Reporter in 1946, a Baseball Player in 1948, a Radio Broadcaster in 1949 , and many more.

Section II, Historical Snapshots, includes lists of significant events and milestones for America, from technical advances and political events to new products and popular movies. Divided into three subsections (Early 1940s, Mid-1940s, and Late 1940s), this section highlights important turning points in American history. Combining serious historical information with fun facts, these snapshots present an easy-to-read overview of what happened in the 1940s.

Section III, Economy of the Times, looks at a wide range of economic data, including food, clothing, transportation, housing, and other selected prices, with reprints of actual advertisements for products and services of the time. Figures for Annual Income and Selected Prices are included, as well as a Value of a Dollar Index that compares the rate of $1 for every year between 1860 and 2014.

Section IV, All Around Us—What We Saw, Wrote, Read & Listened To, includes reprints of newspaper and magazine articles, speeches. letters, posters, and others items designed to help the reader focus on what was on the minds of Americans in the 1940s. These printed pieces show how popular opinion was formed, and how American life was affected. Featured selections include an account of the Holocaust from Auschwitz Survivor Solomon Radasy, an excerpt from the diary of Nazi Propaganda Chief Joseph Goebbels, an article titled "Birth of the Atomic Age" by Stevenson Swanson, and lists of recorded popular songs in the United States.

Finally, Section V, Census Data, includes invaluable data to help define the 1940s: state-by-state comparative tables and actual reprints from the Census of Population, including a Census of Housing, Census of Agriculture, and special reports on Marital Status, Education, and Fertility. Various maps, tables, graphs, charts, and narratives are also including in this section helping readers to effectively visualize the environment at that time.

This is Who We Were: In The 1940s is a dynamic new title built to fill many academic, personal research, and curriculum needs. This comprehensive look at one of the most definitive decades in the 20th century presents American history through the eyes and ears of everyday Americans, not just the word of historians or politicians.

Pub. Date: September 2015
Hardcover: 500 pages
ISBN: 978-1-61925-741-2
Price: $160.00
EBook ISBN: 978-1-61925-742-9 EBook Vendors

Note: If you find this work does not fit your budget, please print out this page and bring it to your local library. There is a reasonable chance they either have a copy, can direct you to a library that does, or will be willing to purchase it for their reference collection.