Uncle Sam Wants You!: Military Men and Women of World War II Book

Describes the experiences of men and women in the United States armed services during World War II, discussing such topics as the draft, boot camp, stateside duty, and combat ...

School Library Journal

Gr 7 Up-- This companion volume to V Is For Victory (Lerner, 1992) continues Whitman's introductory look at U. S. participation in World War II. Her brisk, concise and well-researched prose--as well as her inclusion of illuminating quotations--creates an interest-holding picture of service in the Armed Forces. Her examination begins with boot camp , and quickly moves on to a discussion of what life was like for those millions of American men and women who had ``Uncle Sam for a Boss.'' She notes that while servicewomen made some inroads into male institutions, and some black soldiers moved into positions that previously were not open to them, discrimination continued to limit their opportunities; blacks also had to contend with racial hostility, enforced segregation, race riots , and lynchings. Whitman rapidly segues into a description of the war in the Pacific and in Europe, considers death and other calamities that service people faced, and delineates the ``Road to Victory'' and its immediate postwar period. Thus , in fewer than 80 pages of text fleshed out with a selection of period photographs, in sepia, she gives readers an understanding and appreciation for conditions in the U. S. Armed Forces during World War II. --David A. Lindsey, Lakewood Junior/Senior High School, WA