In Double Victory, a broad spectrum of American voices emerges to illustrate the country's multicultural struggles and victories during World War II. We hear from a Japanese-American at an internment camp; a Native American code breaker using the Navajo language for the first time; a Mexican-American woman, "Rosarita, the riveter," who was able to work a job during wartime other than as a housecleaner or a maid. Takaki also considers the racial biases that influenced important American government actions during the war, like the bombing of Hiroshima and the refusal to admit Jews into the US. Double Victory clearly demonstrates that World War II helped to transform American society and advance the cause of multiculturalism throughout the country.
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"I enjoyed this book. I like how Takaki looked at different groups of people and their unique experiences of the same events. Very interesting and readable. There's a lot here that I can bring to the classroom. "
— Colleen (5 out of 5 stars)
“Takaki’s anecdotal evidence challenges a fundamental element of historical multiculturalism: rather than clinging to ethnic identities in response to American involvement in the war, those recorded here asserted their American identity in order to share in the war’s patriotic spirit as well as its economic spoils…Takaki compellingly argues that these experiences prefigured the civil rights revolution.”
— Publishers Weekly“Takaki’s book is a welcome and much needed entry in the recent literature on the World War II era, and it merits the widest possible audience.”
— Amazon.com, editorial review“The author’s lucid prose enlists narrator Edward Lewis’ enthusiasm, and the work shows that the genesis of America’s power in the world and the advancement of multiculturalism at home occurred in tandem.”
— Library Journal“Ronald Takaki’s Double Victory enjoys Edward Lewis’ excellent clear style as it traces multicultural struggles and victories during wartime in World War II.”
— Reviewer’s Bookwatch" Untold stories of WWII. Depicts different cultural groups experiences in the war and how they use it to fight for civil rights at home. "
— Ms.laroche, 8/14/2013" Reading for a summer class (work). Really enjoying his perspective. "
— Suzanne, 6/4/2011" Untold stories of WWII. Depicts different cultural groups experiences in the war and how they use it to fight for civil rights at home. "
— Ms.laroche, 7/21/2010" Reading for a summer class (work). Really enjoying his perspective. "
— Suzanne, 1/30/2010Ronald Toshiyuki Takaki (1939–2009) , born in Oahu, Hawaii, was an academic, historian, ethnographer, and author. His work addresses stereotypes of Asian Americans, such as the model minority concept.
Edward Lewis (a.k.a. David Hilder) is a stage, film, and television actor. He has narrated unabridged audiobooks for over eighteen years and has recorded more than two hundred titles, spanning works of fiction and nonfiction.