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The Story of World War II
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 24 hrs and 52 mins
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The Story of World War II
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Summary
Drawing on previously unpublished eyewitness accounts, prizewinning historian Donald L. Miller has written what critics are calling one of the most powerful accounts of warfare ever published. Here are the horror and heroism of World War II in the words of the men who fought it, the journalists who covered it, and the civilians who were caught in its fury. Miller gives us an up-close, deeply personal view of a war that was more savagely fought - and whose outcome was in greater doubt - than one might imagine. This is the war that Americans on the home front would have read about had they had access to the previously censored testimony of the soldiers on which Miller builds his gripping narrative.
Miller covers the entire war - on land, at sea, and in the air - and provides new coverage of the brutal island fighting in the Pacific, the bomber war over Europe, the liberation of the death camps, and the contributions of African Americans and other minorities. He concludes with a suspenseful, never-before-told story of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, based on interviews with the men who flew the mission that ended the war.
Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette College. He is a creator and associate producer of the HBO documentary He Has Seen War and has been chief consultant for numerous award-winning PBS productions. He is author of the prizewinning City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America.
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What listeners say about The Story of World War II
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Dave Reed
- 22-01-16
Title it: The American Story of World War II
Would you try another book written by Donald L. Miller and Henry Steele Commanger or narrated by Michael Kramer?
Yes
Would you ever listen to anything by Donald L. Miller and Henry Steele Commanger again?
yes
Any additional comments?
My father fought with RAF during WWII and I was looking forward to listening to a balanced account of that terrible conflict. From the early chapters this book was clearly going to be another title on how America won the war, helped occasionally by the allied forces. I dislike not finishing any book and persevered with this one until chapter 13 then gave up. Very disappointing.
23 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Magic Inc.
- 17-01-16
massively miss-titled
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
No. Very misleading. I got this book to learn more about WWII as a whole. This was not what i got. I would recommend this book to all my American friends because that is who this book was written by and for.
What was most disappointing about Donald L. Miller and Henry Steele Commanger ’s story?
This book should have been titled AN AMERICANS OPINION OF HOW THE AMERICANS BEAT THE NAZIS AND THE JAPANESE. There was hardly any mention of the Allied forces unless is was to say something they didn't do or failed to achieve. Apparently it wasn't even a world war till the Americans joined. "They didn't want to make it worse"! That's want this guy said. Not by choice i might add. It wasn't until they got sucker punched at Pear Harbor that they gave a damn about this European scuffle. It WAS a World war and that is already pretty bad in my books. I could only listen to this book in small chunks because the shear disrespect given to the Allied forces. The RAF fire bombing of the German city of Dresden was an "horrific act of barbarism" but when the US air force burnt Tokyo's main housing districts to the ground just to kill the thousands strong workforce was "just war" oh and the two nukes they dropped was the best way to end the war to save American lives. Not quite sure the moral levels were quite set to an un bi-est level.
What about Michael Kramer’s performance did you like?
I can't hold anything against the Mr Kramer. He did a good job of reading the book.
Did The Story of World War II inspire you to do anything?
I inspired me to find another way to learn about the second world war from an un bi-est source.
Any additional comments?
If your an American then grab your finest red, white and blue and prepare to march down the street waving the flag while whistling Dixie. If your are British, European, or even from any other country that was involved in the second world war then prepare yourselves for a tale how the Americans saved the world.
15 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Neil Campbell
- 22-07-19
Disappointed!!
I was disappointed with this book, I found it to completely American biased, after a brief half hour skimming over the British pre USA war effort the rest only dealt with America’s part in the 2nd world war, you would have thought Britain played no further part after USA belatedly joined. I only read about half of it before giving up in disgust. Also the narrator wasn’t very good in my opinion, he just seemed to read in a matter of fact way without any drama.
7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- gary
- 07-06-15
Great piece of historical/factual story telling..
I was looking for a book that would give me all the factual information, key points and high lights of WWII and this book really did not disappoint, in fact it gave me more. I loved how the listener was given the information from the first hand perspective as service men gave their account of their personal experiences. Long listening time (over 24 hours) but well other the time.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Matt Coulter
- 02-12-22
Very American
The story is good, gave me a lot of information I didn’t know and I’m very into my World War history so Im glad I listened. However, there’s not much mention about Britain in the war even though the Brits were in the war from start to finish. And there’s in next to no mention of the Russian campaign, who again had a massive part in the war. It’s just very typical from an American, America did everything in the war and won the war and no one else was involved. Disappointed with it because it started off well but after the chapter about pearl harbour, next to no mention about the British, French, Russian, Polish and all other countries involved in the war.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- A person.
- 12-07-21
Should be called the American story of World War 2
I wanted a collective, impartial, documentary-like account of WW2.
This is absolutely the American perspective of American military action in WW2, with lots of ‘Americana’ thrown in.
The title is misleading.
It is not a bad audio book per say, and has lots of details specifically about what the Americans did , but it is not what I was after.
The title is misleading and it is not impartial.
Hard to recommend in that case.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K BUTCHER
- 29-10-20
Detailed account of the multi faceted conflict
A great listen giving stories and accounts of battles and suffering throughout world war 2.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joshua MacCallum
- 20-03-20
Simply beautiful
The story of the Twins at DDay had me in tears being a twin myself. Simply amazing. 5 stars
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 29-11-19
Harrowing
I wanted to know about the past in more detail, the scale, the devastation is almost beyond belief. We need as people to ensure this never happens again.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Patrick
- 21-01-15
Excellent Overview of a Catastrophic Event
I randomly found out about this book from the recommended history category books on Audible. I've always been a history buff and have read countless articles and books about World War II.
There are several stories and facts that kept even the typical WW2 enthusiast wanting more. These days, it's hard to find non-recycled material in books like these.
You'll find that much of the history is told in the words of soldiers or journalists embedded with the American troops or sailors. It definitely focuses on the American side of the war, but I recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about World War II without getting into the boring details. If you're interested in more WW2; give "Pacific Crucible" a shot, I think you'll like it just as well.
Overall: This book was perfect for the layman's WW2 interest. It was rarely boring and kept my attention throughout most of the reading. The narration was good as well. I'd give it a 4.5 for sure.
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109 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kingsley
- 11-02-18
The story of America in WW2
This is not the story of WW2. Its the story of the USA in WW2.
For a book that claims that it 'covers the entire war -- on land, at sea, and in the air' it pretty much ignores the first few years of the war. Anything before Pearl Harbor is effectively a footnote and is breezed past with no detail. After Pearl Harbor it focuses exclusively on the USA. Little mention is made of the events of the Eastern front or other non US events.
For what it does it does really well. It's just it is extremely false advertising in it's description and scope.
Narration by Kramer is great though.
71 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- geffrey
- 02-05-13
Best written, best narrator
Hands down among the best of 20+ related books on this topic I've read or listened to in the past decade. A generous, over-arching history of WWll, factoid-filled and fleshed out with choice, heartfelt recollections of the men and women who were there, in broad spectrum of their capacities. Wrapped up with the perfect ender.
Excellent, excellent, excellent. And at 25hrs a prize and a half.
61 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- As happy as a monkey with two bananas in his hands
- 01-06-14
Amazing Inspiring Thought Provoking
What other book might you compare The Story of World War II to and why?
Donald Miller 'the Story of World War II' stands out as exceptional just like 'Masters of the Air - America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany '
Which scene was your favorite?
The ending with its amazing insights to the 'casualty of war' is truly epic! It should be reading material for all young people
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
I'm not a emotional guy but on many occasions I couldn't help but feel awe and amazment of the people and the times. In so many ways I wish today's society had some of the values and characters of that time. I am glad however that we don't have all of them though!
Any additional comments?
The soldiers reflections many years after the war are truly moving and must never be forgotten, never treated lightly. We could do well for the future if we stop and look back to the past and be inspired and scared of the highest and lowest of humanity brought out during such a troubled time!
While this may not be a book you will listen to from start to finish, you may find yourself like me wanting to take a break from it every now and again. Nevertheless, it is one you will always find yourself coming back to learn from, not just of the historical details but because of the wonderful perspective the author brings to the story through the accounts of the people involved!
45 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Russell Bernard
- 27-02-15
Hands down the best World War ll book I have read
Where does The Story of World War II rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Close to the top is not the top. The personal accounts in this book make the war live in a way that is missing from most history books.
What other book might you compare The Story of World War II to and why?
This is my second book by Donald Miller and I will order his book on New York tomorrow.
This is the book to read to immerse your self in the battles and the history of the war.
What does Michael Kramer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
The narration is a s good as it gets.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
The ending is very touching as tells of how solders came to grips with there emotions from the war. It was interesting how solders would not talk about the war because they did not feel others understood unless they had been there.
Any additional comments?
Listen to this book if you have any interest in World War ll forget the others this is the book to start with
24 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 21-04-18
A One Sided Story
The author calls this a story of WWII, yet he barely touches major plot points. He spends more time talking about a single Pacific Island battle than he does talking about the entire Eastern European front. This would have you believe that the battle of Kursk never happened and the taking of peleliu was as important as the battle of Stalingrad.
23 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Tyler
- 14-10-15
Painting Pictures through experience
What I loved about listening to this book was that I really felt like I was listening to the people tell their stories. They made everything seem even worse than I imagined it myself, which is why I choose to learn about war.
We must all learn from the lessons of generations past and remember that war is terrible, this book really drives that home.
16 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- John L.
- 19-04-14
Tremendous Detail
It is naïve to think we understand what it was like to fight in World War II. However, the author does a wonderful job of blending a global view of the conflict along with explicit details of the horrors of war and what it was like to be on the front lines and beyond. I learned a great deal from this book that I had not previously known about the war. I would definitely recommend it. The performance of the narrator was flawless.
My only criticism is that, at times I felt as if the book should be renamed "How African Americans Won the War". While it is noteworthy to point out the contributions and misconceptions of African Americans in WWII, the author seems to overdo it in my opinion while glossing over the contributions of other ethnic groups such as Japanese Americans.
16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 21-09-15
Excellent Review of historical data
This was an excellent book! I was surprised to hear a story about one of my childhood friends father. I always wondered why he seemed so quiet and reserved when I knew him in the late 50's and 60's. Now I know. I highly recommend this book.
9 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Joe
- 24-10-16
Best W W 2 book I have ever read !
I loved the book it was very interesting and informative as well as put together very logistical
6 people found this helpful