Why We Fight
WWII and the Art of Public Persuasion
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4.7 • 26 Ratings
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Publisher Description
Step back to the 1940s and experience the perspective of Americans responding to the Pearl Harbor attack and WWII. Americans were hungry for information, and Washington responded with a PR blitz to sell the war to the American public. Was it public persuasion or propaganda? Did it inform the public or manipulate them? Did it appeal to reason or emotions? Did it rely on facts or stereotypes?
Step back in time and see how the American government coordinated a massive campaign to sell WWII to the US public. Immerse yourself in World War II era mass media - 43 historic posters, 13 rare films, plus numerous communiqués, photographs and recordings.
Videos including rarely-seen cartoons like "Herr Meets Hare" starring Bugs Bunny, government films “What To Do in a Gas Attack” and Hollywood wartime flicks like the "Spy Smasher" cliff hanger series. View naval deck logs detailing the attack on Pearl Harbor. Listen to FDR's "Day of Infamy" speech while you read his handwritten notes on the first draft of the speech. Listen to man-in-the-street interviews recorded the day after the Pearl Harbor attack. Swipe through an interactive timeline map detailing early Axis victories of the war. Use an interactive guide to interpret over 40 wartime posters.
Why We Fight is an enhanced, multi-touch book written by Peter Pappas, a well-known teacher, instructional designer and educational blogger.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic Compilation, Probing Questions
This excellent interactive book is filled with incredible primary sources from the World War II era. From photographs to audio interviews to government-sponsored short films, readers will interact with the material in ways that will help them get a deeper understanding of the influence of media on the public's perception of the war. What I love most about this book are the insightful probing questions in each section - without leading the reader to a particular conclusion, the questions push hard to uncover truths about the American experience few of us consider. This would be a great book to use in middle or high school history courses.
Tools for Thinkers
With this engaging ebook, Peter Pappas demonstrates the power of primary source material to transport us to another time. He is deliberate, too, about connecting the past to more recent events that students have witnessed. Throughout, he encourages critical thinking with questions that challenge students to make their own meaning. Great resource for the social studies classroom and ideal launching pad for projects that put students in the role of historian (or filmmaker, graphic artist, propagandist, curator, etc.).
Quintessential Example of Student Engagement
It’s evident that Pappas meticulously searched through countless primary sources to create this highly engaging reader. The combination of audio, visual, photographic, and text based sources will push students to interact with documents on multiple levels. The sources, however, are greatly enhanced by the relevant and thematic questions that accompany them. This iBook is a fantastic example of the direction other authors and publishers should take in promoting historical thinking skills over content driven instruction.