Book portfolio #3

I have read some of the book "The Good War" by Studs Terkel, which is about World War II. The book tells of many thousands of POWs and civilians dying by friendly fire, and of how the POWs were mistreated in the pacific. Also, how the Japanese-Americans were mistreated in America. War affects everyone, it affects those who die, family, friends, and whole families even if they have no direct association. WWII is the most infamous war in history I believe. Because it is the most discussed and many of us have relatives that fought in or were affected by it. This books theme is historical and personal perspectives because the war is over and is a part of the past, and it is personal because it is from the perspective of someone that was there that fought or saw the effect in the home front during that time.

War affects everyone, the War on Terror affects us every day whether we know it or not, it affects prices on everything from houses to toys to the kitchen sink. One of the people interviewed was going somewhere at night and there were crowds of people in the street that were throwing rocks at street lamps, screaming blackout, and smashing cars headlights because they were afraid of a Japanese bombing that didn't happen. Another interviewee was a young boy of 5 years at the time and was in California with his grandmother. While they were waiting for a trolley he was offered a piece of gum by a Japanese man about 55 years old, and his grandmother picked him up and ran 2 blocks and waited for another trolley. A Hawaiian that had helped clean up after Pearl harbor was interviewed and he said that a few weeks after the attack his girlfriend was killed by some sailors who were shooting 5-inch guns(have a ten-mile range) at Japanese planes. She was in her house getting ready for church, many people were hurt and killed in the city also. All of these people were affected by the war in some way and they weren't even fighting.

The affects of war are everywhere during WWII in America, Europe, the Pacific and the rest of the world. On the home front in America where women begin working in factories and children collect tin and rubber from wherever they find it. In Europe and the Pacific where civilians are basically forced from their homes because of the fighting. It affects all of the soldiers who fought, from all perspectives of life, it gave them all a different perspective on the world. War changes all that are affected by it. It changes how you think and how you act.

War changes everyone around it, in it, and not in or around it. It affected the whole world even generations after the war it has an influence on us. The theme affects us personaly because wars affect all of us personaly in some way even if it's just your opinion on it. Also, historicaly because is was about 60 years ago that it took place, and of course we learn about it in history class because it was a world wide event. This theme is important because it changes everyone even in the slightest way or in a very big way.