The WWII Novel That Explains America

Article excerpt

At the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pulitzer Prize, winning historian Jon Meacham discussed Herman Wouk's 1971 novel "The Winds of War" with host Shilo Brooks during the Jack Miller Center's annual civic education summit. Meacham considers the sprawling World War II epic one of his favorite books, a choice that might seem odd for a historian, but one he defends as essential reading for understanding American identity and values during a transformative moment. The conversation explored how fiction can illuminate history in ways traditional scholarship sometimes cannot, and what Wouk's narrative reveals about the nation's character and moral reckoning during the war years.