Reviews for To hasten the homecoming

The average rating for To hasten the homecoming based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2018-11-13 00:00:00 Steve Britton This was an interesting book about how World War II was fought by the U.S. Government through various media outlets. The sophisticated 21st readers can read this book in one of a number of ways... - How could the population of the 1940's United States be so gullible as being willing to accept the propaganda of the government? - While some of the propaganda espoused by the government through media such as the newspapers, movies and radio was important, some of it was over the top and dangerous to democracy. - When fighting an enemy such as Germany, Italy and Japan in World War II, it was important to gain the support of the home front. Each of these thoughts are explored and expounded on, and while there is a lot of room for criticism of government actions during this time, the end result was the defeat of fascism. This book provides an exploration of how the media was used and freely agreed to help the government support the war. Within the pages the following media areas are discussed: - The role of the Office of War Information - How radio, music and movies influenced the population - Why playwrights and authors supported, (or were forced to support) the war effort - How Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, and even Mickey Mouse helped fight the war - How and why the advertising industry complied with the request of the government to spin the war in a certain way. The book explores why it it is easy to criticize the actions of the government and the people in the 1940's during World War II. Undoubtedly there are things to criticize, as a number of actions, such as the Japanese internment, are highly questionable. However, the overall tone of the book is not contemptuous because the author is trying to discuss and explain why actions were taken by the government trying to fight a heinous enemy. All in all, I thought this book was a well thought out and balanced discussion about how the U.S. Government fought the Axis during World War II through the media. Those that are blindly "patriotic" will not be happy with some of the discussions within the pages. However, those that are blindly "critical" of actions of the government in World War II will also be unhappy with some of the discussions within the pages of this book. I would certainly recommend this book to people who are interested in American history, especially World War II and the sociology behind some of the actions the U.S.

Review # 2 was written on 2014-05-18 00:00:00 P. Silverman Cogently explains why American crime policies are so barbarous and ineffective, compared to other Western nations, and compared to our own nation in other eras. The gist: cultural sensibilities swing on a pendulum, and so do crime trends. In the late 20th century, the former swung to a point of fear/insecurity just as crime trends peaked. Add to the mix opportunistic politicians, politically vulnerable judges/prosecutors, and bloodthirsty media -- you get moral panics that produce crazy punitive laws. I had to read this for research. The style is clear and mercifully concise, and the content is backed by good data and references.