What to read about the end of the second world war
Five books about history’s bloodiest conflict
THE SECOND WORLD WAR sparked decades of scholarship. By one count, 70,000 books had already been published by 1989. The 80th anniversary of the end of the war, both in Europe and Asia, is precipitating yet more studies. In light of the commemorations, many readers will be looking to learn more about the conflict. Whether you read history for diversion from current affairs, or because you feel it offers “a vast early-warning system”—as Norman Cousins, an American journalist, did—these are five of the best books published about the second world war this century.
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What Superman tells you about American foreign policy
Should a man who can do anything choose to do nothing?
Handling feelings with rubber gloves: the odd life of Muriel Spark
An abandoned son, scorned lovers and dazzling, manipulative prose
Why the left gains nothing from pop stars’ support
Artists are entitled to share their views. Doing so is not always noble or wise
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Stories of tennis players, chefs and rock stars
Stop crying your heart out—for Oasis have returned to the stage
They are much more popular today than their Britpop peers
Inside the uneasy, incongruous coalition of the Big Three
A new book traces the wartime relationship between Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt and Josef Stalin