How the U.S. entered World War II—a well-paced and richly detailed account.
Husband-and-wife authors examine a pivotal year in wartime.
This detailed look at 1941 begins in June, as the momentum of World War II seemed to be with Germany, which had just invaded Russia. Britain was fighting alone, and Winston Churchill desperately wanted to enlist America’s help. Franklin D. Roosevelt, facing a Congress and public opinion that opposed sending troops to Europe, dodged committing to active involvement in the war—though he provided Britain with plentiful war materiel through the Lend-Lease program. Hitler, meanwhile, was “deeply deluded,” surrounded by sycophants who assured him that the war was going perfectly, despite increasingly effective Russian resistance. However, over the coming months, as the authors write, “A series of fateful—and fatal—decisions escalated the conflict and foretold the outcome.” The book traces those decisions by following each of the three leaders as events unfolded. It’s an often fascinating look at the leaders’ off-stage lives, spiced with quotes from diaries and other first-hand accounts of those who dealt with them on a daily basis. Churchill’s wooing of the U.S.—of FDR in particular—led to personal meetings, crossing the Atlantic in spite of the threat of German U-boats. The two men had much in common, and they saw the danger of European fascism—but it wasn’t until Hitler’s foolish declaration of war on the U.S. after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor that they became true allies. Narrated in the present tense, the book has a cast of characters that would be the envy of any novelist. Even readers broadly familiar with the course of the war are likely to find something new here.
How the U.S. entered World War II—a well-paced and richly detailed account.Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9780593597156
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 25, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
The Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist (1900–45) collected his work from WWII in two bestselling volumes, this second published in 1944, a year before Pyle was killed by a sniper’s bullet on Okinawa. In his fine introduction to this new edition, G. Kurt Piehler (History/Univ. of Tennessee at Knoxville) celebrates Pyle’s “dense, descriptive style” and his unusual feel for the quotidian GI experience—a personal and human side to war left out of reporting on generals and their strategies. Though Piehler’s reminder about wartime censorship seems beside the point, his biographical context—Pyle was escaping a troubled marriage—is valuable. Kirkus, at the time, noted the hoopla over Pyle (Pulitzer, hugely popular syndicated column, BOMC hype) and decided it was all worth it: “the book doesn’t let the reader down.” Pyle, of course, captures “the human qualities” of men in combat, but he also provides “an extraordinary sense of the scope of the European war fronts, the variety of services involved, the men and their officers.” Despite Piehler’s current argument that Pyle ignored much of the war (particularly the seamier stuff), Kirkus in 1944 marveled at how much he was able to cover. Back then, we thought, “here’s a book that needs no selling.” Nowadays, a firm push might be needed to renew interest in this classic of modern journalism.
Pub Date: April 26, 2001
ISBN: 0-8032-8768-2
Page Count: 513
Publisher: Univ. of Nebraska
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
A lucid, astute text that unpacks the myths of Russian history to help explain present-day motivations and actions.
An expert on Russia delivers a crucially relevant study of a country that has been continuously “subjected to the vicissitudes of ruling ideologies.”
Wolfson History Prize winner Figes, one of the world’s leading authorities on Russian history and culture, shows how, over centuries, Russian autocrats have manipulated intertwined layers of mythology and history to suit their political and imperial purposes. Regarding current affairs, the author argues convincingly that to understand Putin’s aggressive behavior toward Ukraine and other neighboring nations, it is essential to grasp how Russia has come to see itself within the global order, especially in Asia and Europe. Figes emphasizes the intensive push and pull between concepts of East and West since the dubious founding of Kievan Rus, “the first Russian state,” circa 980. Russia’s geography meant it had few natural boundaries and was vulnerable to invasion—e.g., by the Mongols—and its mere size often required strong, central military control. It was in Moscow’s interests to increase its territorial boundaries and keep its neighbors weak, a strategy still seen today. Figes explores the growth of the “patrimonial autocracy” and examines how much of the mechanics of the country’s autocracy, bureaucracy, military structure, oligarchy, and corruption were inherited from three centuries of Mongol rule. From Peter the Great to Catherine the Great to Alexander II (the reformer who freed the serfs) and through the Bolsheviks to Stalin: In most cases, everything belonged to the state, and there were few societal institutions to check that power. “This imbalance—between a dominating state and a weak society—has shaped the course of Russian history,” writes the author in a meaningful, definitive statement. Today, Putin repudiates any hint of Westernizing influences (Peter the Great) while elevating the Eastern (Kievan Rus, the Orthodox Church). In that, he is reminiscent of Stalin, who recognized the need for patriotic fervor and national myths and symbols to unite and ensure the oppression of the masses.
A lucid, astute text that unpacks the myths of Russian history to help explain present-day motivations and actions.Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-79689-9
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Metropolitan/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
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