December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World

Written by Craig Shirley and P.X. Kelley

Narrated by Tom Parks

In the days before the attack on Pearl Harbor, America was largely focused on the war in Europe, but when planes dropped out of a clear blue sky and bombed the American naval base and aerial targets in Hawaii, everything changed in an instant. December 1941 takes you into the moment-by-moment ordeal of a nation waking to war.

In December 1941, bestselling author Craig Shirley celebrates the American spirit while reconstructing the events that called it to shine with rare and piercing light. Shirley puts readers on the ground and the thick of the action.

Relying on daily news reports from around the country and recently declassified government papers, Shirley sheds light on the crucial diplomatic exchanges leading up to the attack, the policies on the internment of Japanese people living in the U.S. after the assault, and the near-total overhaul of the U.S. economy to prepare for war.

Shirley paints a compelling portrait of pre-war American culture--from the fashion and the celebrities to common pastimes. His portrait of America at war is just as vivid, highlighting:

• The surge in heroism, self-sacrifice, mass military enlistments, and national unity
• The prodigious talents of Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley
• Troubling price-controls and rationing, federal economic takeover, and censorship

Featuring colorful personalities including Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull, and General Douglas MacArthur, December 1941 highlights a period of profound change in American government, foreign and domestic policy, law, economics, and business, chronicling the developments day by day through that singular and momentous month.

December 1941 features surprising revelations, amusing anecdotes, and heart-wrenching stories, and also explores the unique religious and spiritual dimension of a culture under assault on the eve of Christmas. Before the attack on Pearl Harbor, the closest thing to war for the Americans was uncoordinated, mediocre war games in South Carolina.

Less than thirty days later, by the end of December 1941, the nation was involved in a battle for the preservation of its very way of life--a battle that would forever change the nation and the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson
• Release date: Jul 26, 2022
• ISBN: 9781599510453

Craig Shirley

Craig Shirley is the author of four critically praised bestsellers about Ronald Reagan, Reagan's Revolution, Rendezvous with Destiny, Last Act, and Reagan Rising. His book December 1941 appeared multiple times on the New York Times bestseller list. Shirley is chairman of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs and is a widely sought-after speaker and commentator. The Visiting Reagan Scholar at Eureka College, Shirley is on the Board of Governors of the Reagan Ranch and lectures frequently at the Reagan Library, and he has written extensively for Newsmax, The Washington Post, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, Townhall, Breitbart, National Review, LifeZette, CNS, and many other publications. Considered one of the foremost public intellectuals on the history of conservatism in America, Shirley also wrote Mary Ball Washington: The Untold Story of George Washington's Mother, which won the "People's Choice Award" from the Library of Virginia. He is now working on The Search for Reagan and an examination of the Donald Trump presidency titled American Prometheus.

Reviews for December 1941

[hermit_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was looking forward to what the book was suppose too cover; a look via media at that time. The premise is interesting but the editor and fact checker did did not do their job as there are many typos. Too make matter worse there are many factual errors that would have been easy too check in the old days let alone now in the computer age. I will not list all the errors as the list would be long and many. Normally a book this size takes me three to five days too read. This took me months. I had too keep putting it down and read something else. If I did not have a self imposed rule of finishing any book I start reading I would never had finished this. This could have been a great book. I gave the book an extra half star for the attempt at an look at history.

[dsliesse_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I like the concept -- tell the story of the first month the US is in World War II via what is reported in the newspapers. One of the things I'd like to see more of in wartime history is what life is like for those not in the military.Unfortunately, this book is not an example of good writing. Proofreading and editing are non-existent, and the author does too much editorializing and not enough analysis. A fellow World War II buff has described this book as the "biggest waste of forest products ever" -- I think that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's certainly on the right track.

[vguy_6 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing after positive reviews. Too much detail, not enough analysis. Tending towards the scrapbook approach, "history as one damn thing after another". Weak compared to another "1 month in history" book I read recently, May 1865, which has more in depth portraiture, explanation and - yes - even the author's opinions.Didn't read to the end as the period is fairly familiar to me.

[janarose1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This book was written from day-to-day relating the newspaper articles published on each day. A lot of sporting events were covered for each day, which I found to be a bit boring. It also seemed that it took several days for Pearl Harbor to be featured in the book. I also thought the book had a lot of typos and spelling mistakes. After reading the description of the book I thought that it had some promise however, I was not impressed with it.