"The Good War""The Good War"
Score Classic
What it's about
Studs Terkel interviewed more than a hundred Americans about their experiences of the Second World War, and here they speak in their own words: soldiers and sailors, nurses, factory workers, Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps, scientists on the atomic bomb, and civilians on the home front. Together they show a war far more complicated than the 'good war' of memory.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Pulitzer Prize. It's a landmark of oral history.
You'll love it if you liked
The Greatest Generation
Dispatches
The Naked and the DeadGood to know
It's long, but the voices are short and easy to dip into. There's frank talk about combat.
By the numbers
- Readers91 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics67 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller0 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
More by Studs Terkel
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Quick answers
Is "The Good War" worth reading?
It won the Pulitzer Prize. Its Must-Read Score is 81.3 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is "The Good War" about?
Studs Terkel interviewed more than a hundred Americans about their experiences of the Second World War, and here they speak in their own words: soldiers and sailors, nurses, factory workers, Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps, scientists on the atomic bomb, and civilians on the home front. Together they show a war far more complicated than the 'good war' of memory.
How long does it take to read "The Good War"?
About 15 hours (608 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has "The Good War" won?
Pulitzer Prize (General Nonfiction) winner (1985).
What should I read after "The Good War"?
If you liked it, try The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw, Dispatches by Michael Herr or The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer.