The Wounded Generation

Coming Home After World War II

By: David Nasaw

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

From award-winning and bestselling author David Nasaw, a brilliant re-examination of post-World War II America that looks beyond the victory parades and into the veterans’—and nation’s—unhealed traumas

In its duration, geographical reach, and ferocity, World War II was unprecedented, and the effects on those who fought it and their loved ones at home, immeasurable. The heroism of the men and women who won the war may be well documented, but we know too little about the pain and hardships the veterans endured upon their return home. As historian David Nasaw makes evident in his masterful recontextualization of these years, the veterans who came home to America were not the same people as those who had left for war, and the nation to which they returned was not the one they had left behind. Contrary to the prevailing narratives of triumph, here are the largely unacknowledged realities the veterans—and the nation—faced that radically reshaped our understanding of this era as a bridge to today.

The Wounded Generation tells the indelible stories of the veterans and their loved ones as they confronted the aftershocks of World War II. Veterans suffering from recurring nightmares, uncontrollable rages, and social isolation were treated by doctors who had little understanding of PTSD. They were told that they were suffering from nothing more than battle fatigue and that time would cure it. When their symptoms persisted, they were given electro-shock treatments and lobotomies, while the true cause of their distress would remain undiagnosed for decades to come. Women who had begun working outside the home were pressured to revert to their prewar status as housewives dependent on their husbands. Returning veterans and their families were forced to double up with their parents or squeeze into overcrowded, substandard shelters as the country wrestled with a housing crisis. Divorce rates doubled. Alcoholism was rampant. Racial tensions heightened as White southerners resorted to violence to sustain the racial status quo. To ease the veterans’ readjustment to civilian life, Congress passed the GI Bill, but Black veterans were disproportionately denied their benefits, and the consequences of this discrimination would endure long after the war was won.

In this richly textured examination, Nasaw presents a complicated portrait of those who brought the war home with them, among whom were the period’s most influential political and cultural leaders, including John F. Kennedy, Robert Dole, and Henry Kissinger; J. D. Salinger and Kurt Vonnegut; Harry Belafonte and Jimmy Stewart. Drawing from veterans’ memoirs, oral histories, and government documents, Nasaw illuminates a hidden chapter of American history—one of trauma, resilience, and a country in transition.

Exceptional read! Learned much about life on returning home.

Well organized and researched. It encouraged me to reach out to older relatives to learn more about my family during WWII.

Rescues WW II Vets’ Complexity and Humanity from “Greatest Generation” Mythologizing

Nasaw covers many aspects of WW II vets’ experiences, from the immediate aftermath of the war to their slow homecoming. He does an especially good job integrating the experiences of Black vets and gay and lesbian vets into his narrative. His discussion of the GI Bill of Rights is particularly nuanced. I like that he included pop culture, especially early movies, including film noir, that dealt with returning vets. The treatment of PTSD is particularly poignant, especially the accounts of WW II vets who only got diagnosed and helped in their 70s, 80s and even 90s. Many dealt with war trauma with alcohol. As Nasaw observes, in postwar America drinking was socially acceptable but needing psychiatric help was not.

Best explanation of the effects of WW2 I've ever read.

This was a great book that helped me understand the cost of World War 2. A must read!

Superb Portrait of WW II Veterans

An excellent and detailed study of the return of WW II veterans with an in-depth portrait of those wounded in body and mind.

Unlocking generational trauma

This explains so much about American culture and it's impact on individual lives.

The generation of WWII accomplished an unparalleled feat. The cost to themselves and to their families and generations after is still being calculated.