“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II

“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II was published in 1984 and received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction the following year. Written by Studs Terkel, the book is still considered a classic of oral history. Unlike traditional history, which tends to rely on written records and other material artifacts like works of art and literature or archaeological remains, oral histories collect information about past events through interviews with individuals who were there. Oral historians interview various people who lived through events or knew certain past individuals, and they preserve the details through transcriptions or audio and video recordings.

Like most oral historians, Studs Terkel casts a wide net. He talks not only to admirals, generals, famous film directors and critics, and former ambassadors, but also to people who lived through World War II as rank-and-file soldiers and sailors or as civilians. Terkel’s goal is to provide a comprehensive view of World War II through multiple individuals who had different experiences of the war; who came from various class, racial, and gender backgrounds; and who held different political views and life experiences. While “The Good War” is largely written from an American

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