The Darkest Year: The American Home Front, 1941-1942

by William K. Klingaman Narrated by Stefan Rudnicki

Overview

The Darkest Year is acclaimed author William K. Klingaman's narrative history of the American home front from December 7, 1941 through the end of 1942, a psychological study of the nation under the pressure of total war.

For Americans on the home front, the twelve months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor comprised the darkest year of World War Two. Despite government attempts to disguise the magnitude of American losses, it was clear that the nation had suffered a nearly unbroken string of military setbacks in the Pacific; by the autumn of 1942, government officials were openly acknowledging the possibility that the United States might lose the war.

Appeals for unity and declarations of support for the war effort in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor made it appear as though the class hostilities and partisan animosities that had beset the United States for decades - and grown sharper during the Depression - suddenly disappeared. They did not, and a deeply divided American society splintered further during 1942 as numerous interest groups sought to turn the wartime emergency to their own advantage.

Blunders and repeated displays of incompetence by the Roosevelt administration added to the sense of anxiety and uncertainty that hung over the nation.

The Darkest Year focuses on Americans' state of mind not only through what they said, but in the day-to-day details of their behavior. Klingaman blends these psychological effects with the changes the war wrought in American society and culture, including shifts in family roles, race relations, economic pursuits, popular entertainment, education, and the arts.

Editorial Reviews

MARCH 2019 - AudioFile

Stefan Rudnicki’s sober narration of this well-written account conveys an anxiety-filled 12 months in American history. December 1941 through December 1942, the first year the U.S. was part of WWII, was the “darkest year” of that conflict for Americans. Looking closely at the day-to-day lives of Americans on the homefront, Klingaman’s work does not flinch from noting the many blunders and the outright incompetence displayed by the country’s civilian and military leaders during this time. We see a country’s psyche undergo great stress as it switches from a peacetime to a wartime economy and adjusts to all the other changes brought about by the war. Rudnicki’s deep and somewhat gravelly voice is easy to understand. He is expressive when reading narrative and gives a nuanced delivery of quotes and dialogue. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172610721
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	02/19/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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