When Books Went to War

I had no idea about the impact of books during the WW2, nor did I realize the changes in production during this time.Very interesting microhistory.

I was pretty excited to read When Books Went to War, because I love mass-market paperbacks. Getting books in the hands of as many people as possible is dope. The Armed Service Editions played a massive role in genre fiction history. Unfortunately, this book was a little light on meat and potatoes, and a little heavy on gushing testimonials about the program. Still, the story itself is a valuable one. Whatever caveats I might have about its lack of weightiness, When Books Went to War is still a digestible and engaging read.

Hey, did you know that books and librarians won World War II? That's a bit of an exaggeration but it feels like it's close to the lesson that Molly Guptill Manning wants readers to take away from her exploration of the Armed Services Edition books that were sent to soldiers overseas between 1941 and 1947. I think it's a little idealistic to make the claim that books were a major motivating force to American GIs to combat the atrocities of Hitler and Hirohito. But there's no denying the fact that the ASE books, along with the massive book drives that preceded them, are a fascinating, overlooked footnote in World War II history that deserve their day in the sun.