Reviews for Archives of Memory: A Soldier Recalls World War II

The average rating for Archives of Memory: A Soldier Recalls World War II based on 2 reviews is 2.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-06-08 00:00:00 Danny Street This purpose of this book was to ascertain how a memory works when trying to recall its contents after a span of time. One of the co-authors had participated in the fight on the Western front during the II World War and his recall of various events was tested by his wife psychologist in a series of interviews conducted in 1978 and then in 1982. His memories were then tested against the official military logs and reminiscences of his soldier friends. The findings of the book could be of interest to some historians and psychologists interested in functioning of the memory. The military contents of the book are not that interesting as they are of a limited scope seen from the rank and file soldier. The psychologist concludes that "it appears that the events that become a part of archival memory either are unique happenings or are recorded because they represent the first occurrence of an event which subsequently became more routine."

Review # 2 was written on 2015-11-02 00:00:00 Marc Dellaire When you gather 55 essays on any subject, a certain proportion of them are bound to be duds. Thankfully this collection keeps that percentage to a minimum. I was enthralled by the stories these women told - most of them weren't exciting or the stuff of legend, but they were real women that I could identify. I also like that Ms. Parker broadly defined "Americans" - there are essays by women who emigrated to the States after the war, and so readers get to see a touch of the European and Pacific experience as well.