This Is Not Who We Are
America’s Struggle Between Vengeance and Virtue

The fascinating story of how Americans tried to save enemy lives amidst wartime calls for revenge.

Zachary Shore (Author)

9781009203449, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 19 January 2023

348 pages
23.5 x 15.8 x 2.4 cm, 0.64 kg

'An instructive history that speaks to the better angels of the American nature.' Kirkus Reviews

What kind of country is America? Zachary Shore tackles this polarizing question by spotlighting some of the most morally muddled matters of WWII. Should Japanese Americans be moved from the west coast to prevent sabotage? Should the German people be made to starve as punishment for launching the war? Should America drop atomic bombs to break Japan's will to fight? Surprisingly, despite wartime anger, most Americans and key officials favored mercy over revenge, yet a minority managed to push their punitive policies through. After the war, by feeding the hungry, rebuilding Western Europe and Japan, and airlifting supplies to a blockaded Berlin, America strove to restore the country's humanity, transforming its image in the eyes of the world. A compelling story of the struggle over racism and revenge, This Is Not Who We Are asks crucial questions about the nation's most agonizing divides.

List of figures
Prologue: The Friendship Train
Introduction: From vengeance to virtue
Part I. Enemies:
1. Concentrate
2. Sabotage
3. Coordinate
4. Cover-Up
5. Disintegrate
6. Collude
7. Deny
8. Maneuver
9. Regret
10. Fallout
11. Reckoning
Part II. Saviors:
12. Rescue
13. Sacrifice
14. Reform
15. Revive
16. Hunger
17. Resurrect
18. Uplift
19. Atone
20. Afterlife
Acknowledgments
Notes
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Social impact of disasters [JFFC], Social & cultural history [HBTB], Postwar 20th century history, from c 1945 to c 2000 [HBLW3], History of the Americas [HBJK], General & world history [HBG]