World War II on the Home Front: An Interactive History Adventure

By Martin Gitlin

It’s December 1941. The United States has just entered World War II. How will you help your country fight for its freedom?  Will you:  Help keep the country’s economy going as a young mother in the work force?  Try to fit into society as a wounded African American veteran?  Help end prejudice against Japanese citizens as a 12 year old California boy?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Mar 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781620650172

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

THE COMING OF WAR

The guns fell silent in 1918. World War I was over. Many called it the war to end all wars because they believed such a terrible conflict could never happen again. But they were wrong. Only 21 years later, war would again engulf the world.

Dictator Adolf Hitler and the Nazi political party took control of Germany in the early 1930s. The country had fallen into a deep economic depression. Hitler targeted the Jewish people, whom he blamed for Germany’s economic problems. He also blamed German misery on the 1919 Treaty of Versailles that had followed the fighting. It had punished Germany for starting World War I. It also forced Germany’s government to pay billions of dollars to its European neighbors.

Adolf Hitler, the leader of Germany and the Nazi Party, stirred up hatred of Jews.

Meanwhile, storm clouds gathered over Asia. Japan had invaded China. Many Americans were alarmed by the events in Europe and Asia. But they had big problems at home. The Great Depression that began in 1929 left about 25 percent of Americans unemployed. Millions were poor, and many were homeless. Americans were too concerned about finding their next meal to worry about a potential war thousands of miles away.

That potential war in Europe became a terrible reality when Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. Soon Great Britain and France declared war on Germany. But few could have imagined how powerful a military the Germans had developed. Germany quickly conquered Poland and several other countries. The world was shocked when the Germans took over France in just six weeks.

A woman couldn’t hide her misery as she dutifully saluted the invading German Nazis.

Some Americans believed the United States should enter the war. But many Americans were isolationists who felt that their country should stay out.

Everything changed December 7, 1941. That morning hundreds of Japanese planes attacked and destroyed a U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. More than 2,000 Americans were killed.

The United States entered World War II after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.

Congress quickly declared war on Japan. A few days later the United States was at war with Germany as well.

The battle lines had been drawn. Germany, Italy, and Japan had formed an alliance called the Axis. The United States joined the Soviet Union, Britain, and other nations to form what was known as the Allies.

Men and women from all over the United States signed up immediately to join the war effort. Millions of men were drafted to fight and sent overseas. But the war didn’t just affect the new soldiers. It changed the lives of all Americans.

To be a woman married to an American soldier fighting overseas, press here.

To be a 12-year-old boy in San Diego, press here.

To be a wounded black war veteran from the segregated South, press here.

CHAPTER 2

TO WORK OR

NOT TO WORK

It’s a relaxing afternoon in December 1941. You’re with your husband, Edward, and a few of your friends in your New York City apartment. Soft music is playing on the radio, but nobody is paying attention to it.

Suddenly, everyone is quiet. A news report

Reviews for World War II on the Home Front

[janarose1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I remember reading the interactive books as a teenager, and this brought me right back. In this story you must make decisions which take you through various aspects of World War I. There are 3 story paths, 41 choices and 21 endings. Each choice leads you to facts and information about life during World War I. It is educational, but in a fun and exciting way. Overall, I think it is more geared towards boys than girls, but anyone will enjoy this story.