Author: Michael Burleigh
Rating: 5 Stars
Review By: Shana

​With so many histories of World War II on offer, students of that world-changing event have a wealth of options for study. There are books tightly focused on key individuals or specific battles, others offering a wider view by examining a specific country or demographic group, and still others try to take in the broad sweep of the entire event (though to be thorough multiple volumes would be needed or else would fall short by giving short shrift to certain theaters or groups). Here Burleigh approaches this watershed of 20th century history by attempting to take in the immensity of the war through the frame of morality during the war. The aforementioned students of World War II history would be well-served by picking up this book, which manages to be both familiar and surprising. 

Author: Rachel Maddow 
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Review By: Shana

​A whirlwind tour through the last 60-ish years of American military power. Maddow also gives the reader a necessary grounding in the founding fathers, how they viewed war with wariness, and how the Constitution reflected this, before decisively laying out how America at war has morphed since the founding, and not for the better. Most likely to appeal to those who are generally in line with Maddow's political views, but even for others, she makes her points well and some of the conclusions should (rationally) be bipartisan.