Akron Public Library

"When America entered World War II in 1941, [it] faced an enemy that had banned and burned over 100 million books and caused fearful citizens to hide or destroy many more. Outraged librarians launched a campaign to send free books to American troops and gathered 20 million hardcover donations. In 1943, the War Department and the publishing industry stepped in with an extraordinary program: 120 million small, lightweight paperbacks, for troops to carry...

"En la noche del 24 al 25 de julio de 1938, durante la batalla del Ebro, 2.890 hombres y 14 mujeres de la XI Brigada Mixta del eǰrcito de la Repblica cruzan el ̕ro para establecer la cabeza de puente de Castellets del Segre, donde combatìrn durante diez ̕das. Sin embargo, ni Castellets, ni la XI Brigada, ni las tropas que se le enfrentan en ̕Lnea de fuego existieron nunca. Las unidades militares, los lugares y los personajes que en esta novela...

Blends information on the politics, culture, and events of the author's life to provide historical context and understanding of his work.

Traces the process and influences behind the writing of Stephen Crane's novel, The Red Badge of Courage, which was published in 1893 when the Civil War was still fresh in the public mind.

An account of how, during the War of 1812, Francis Scott Key came to write the poem that became the national anthem.

Many have forgotten that the subject of the "Illiad" was war--not merely the poetical romance of the war at Troy, but war, in all its enduring devastation. This groundbreaking reading of Homer's epic poem restores the poet's vision of the tragedy of war, addressing many of the central questions that define the war experience of every age.

Describes how a patriotic and eloquent attorney was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner" after witnessing the British attack on Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.

A biography of the American author who, in writing Uncle Tom's cabin, revealed the cruelties of slavery and further split an already divided country.

A collection of the dispatches Steinbeck wrote as a war correspondent for Newsday. Rejected by the military because of his reputation as a subversive, and reticent to document the war officially for the Johnson administration, Steinbeck saw in Newsday a unique opportunity to put his skills to use. Between December 1966 and May 1967, the sixty-four-year-old Steinbeck toured the major combat areas of South Vietnam and traveled to the north of Thailand...

During his service in the Civil War a young Union soldier matures to manhood and finds peace of mind as he comes to grips with his conflicting emotions about war.