Home Front Heroes [Three Volumes] A Biographical Dictionary of Americans during Wartime

Subjects:

• History » American History (General)
• History » American History -- Colonial Era
• History » American Civil War & Reconstruction History
• History » American History -- Nineteenth Century

Reviews:

• [C]oncentrates on those who stayed in the country or behind the lines (in the case of the Civil War), e.g., politicians, celebrities, antiwar activists, doctors, scientists, engineers, and industrial leaders. The signed entries are arranged in A-Z order, and each volume has a list of entries by conflict, along with a separate list of entries by category/occupation....Home Front Heroes is suitable for large public and academic libraries....Lower-/upper-level undergraduates and general readers.
  —Choice July 2007
• Here is a unique A-Z biographical dictionary that profiles 1,001 individuals whose actions affected how the United States made, supported, perceived, and protested its major war efforts from the Revolution to Gulf War II....Browsing these volumes is worthwhile for anyone wanting a sense of how Americans have responded to war, and many of the entries make interesting reading. For instance, Laurens Hammond (of Hammond Organ fame) supplied alarm clocks and coffins during World War II, and Hammond helped develop gyroscopes and light-sensing instruments, altitude-sensing devices, bank and turn indicators, and a mechanically controlled shutter for aerial cameras. Antiwar efforts receive attention, too, and it is useful to read about that side of war-related activity throughout U.S. history. As the editor states in the preface, Heroes to some may not be heroes to others, but all the subjects of this work made their choices and acted on them. Recommended for high-school, public, and college libraries.
  —Booklist/Reference Books Bulletin June 1 & 15, 2007

Table of Contents:

• Volume 1
• Introduction
• Volume 2
• Volume 3
• Appendix 1: Quick Reference Alphabetical List of Biographical Entries
• Appendix 2: Quick Reference List of Biographical Entries by War
• Appendix 3: Quick Reference List of Biographical Entries by Categories/Occupations