What They Didn't Teach You About World War II

This is history unlike any you were taught: no endless lists of battles, dates, and commanders; no bright blue arrows jabbing at bright red arrows on incomprehensible maps. This is the human side of war telling of the young men receiving their "Greetings" notices from the draft board, then settling into weeks of basic training. It is about uniforms that came in only too sizes - too large and too small - and training rifles that looked suspiciously like broomsticks.

What They Didn't Teach You ... is about the wives and daughters who signed up - no draftees here - to serve alongside the men, and the women and children who fought to maintain life at home. Here are the stories of movie stars who fought (actor Jimmy Stewart was a bomber pilot) and future presidents who kept their day jobs (Capt.

Ronald Reagan made training films.) You learn of the only female American held prisoner of war by the Nazis, and how a group of Navajos devised a code that helped ensure Marine Corps victory at Iwo Jima. This is the rest of the story, a story of the vitality and resilience of human beings, more than the mindless violence of battle.