Michael Renov

The American war effort in World War II involved far more than just the military. Women and men on the homefront supported the soldiers abroad with their labor and their spirit. Their patriotic fervor was echoed in all facets of the popular culture of the era. Popular music incorporated military and patriotic themes. Many of the best—selling books of the period were firsthand accounts of the war experience, from the point of view of both the soldiers on active duty and the women on the homefront. The public developed a voracious appetite for news about the war, and magazine publishing and radio broadcasting flourished. Finally, the advertising industry was transformed as it worked with the Office of War Information to promote scrap drives, rationing, and war bonds. Michael...