Why did World War two stories enjoy such widespread popularity in books?

Answer 1

It depends on who you talk to and what their stance on the war is.

From an American point of view, it seems to be a popular subject because it was the last war with a concrete start and end, with obvious villains who did such terrible things that there is little doubt that they truly were villains. Hitler and Tojo and Mussolini, and the people working for them, did some vile things to the people they ruled, so portraying them as villains was very easy. Virtually everyone in the world agrees that Hitler was a very bad man.

It was also the last war that was really fought in a traditional "force on force" style. That is, "I have my army, you have yours, we make them fight a regular old fashioned battle". Since that war, wars have been usually fought in a more irregular fashion, often asymetrically (that is, guerrilla warfare, as is happening in Afghanistan right now, or as it happened in the Vietnam War), or they've been proxy wars (like the US supporting insurgents in Nicaragua, Angola and even Afghanistan in the 1970-80s). It's hard for the average American to follow such wars, and difficult to get excited that their side is winning when you don't truly know what is even going on, since there usually aren't large pitched battles anymore.

Lastly, it was also the last time there was a true declaration of war by the US. It was also the last time the war came to a definite, final conclusion and the correct side (from a US perspective) won, and there was no doubt of that victory. Korea was fought sort of similarly to World War II, but it ended in a simple cease fire so it didn't have the same "feel" as the victory over the Nazis. With Vietnam, to grossly oversimplify it, the US basically quit and left the South to its fate- hardly a triumph, since the South's fate was to be conquered by the Communists. Iraq and Afghanistan haven't fully ended yet. There have been other more minor wars, like the 1991 Gulf War, Grenada, Panama, etc, but those have been so short and often fought for murky reasons- I would be willing to bet that the majority of Americans have no idea why the US invaded Grenada or Panama in the 1980's... hell, most of them probably don't even know that those invasions ever happened!

Answer 2

World War II stories are popular due to the immense scale of the conflict, the high stakes involved, and the heroism displayed by soldiers and civilians. These stories often evoke strong emotions, offer insight into historical events, and highlight themes of sacrifice, resilience, and the human spirit in the face of adversity. They appeal to readers seeking to understand the impact of war on individuals and societies.