New York Times Living History

This second volume of the New York Times history of World War II deals with the Allied march to victory. Following the same format as the first volume, the book presents 52 chapters, each featuring a brief historical essay by volume editor Rubel, a piece of 1940s Times newspaper coverage, a background primary source piece and one or more photographs. Rubel's clear, efficient narrative summaries of complex events like the Detroit race riots and the Battle of the Bulge complement the work of famous Times journalists, such as Ernie Pyle and Drew Middleton, and less well-known writers such as Raymond Daniell and Sidney Shallett. Primary source items range from the transcript of George Patton's classic speech to his troops on the eve of D-Day, to an eyewitness account of Okinawa commander Ushijima Mitsuru's suicide. A gem for browsing and a good overview of the second half of the war, this volume is a worthy companion to its predecessor.