• Helluva Town: The Story of New York City During World War II
• Helluva Town: New York City in the 1940s and 50s
• The Automat: The History, Recipes, and Allure of Horn & Hardart's Masterpiece
• FDR's Funeral Train: A Betrayed Widow, a Soviet Spy, and a Presidency in the Balance
• When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's: Memories, Pictures, and Recipes from a Very Special Restaurant Empire

I grew up in the Bronx listening to my mother and father, aunts and uncles, and neighborhood "old timers," often using the statements, "Remember, during the Depression....?" and "Well, that was during 'the War,' and no one could get anything...." etc. I often tried to get the true feel and "flavor" of those times, specifically in NYC, and the book, "Over Here" did indeed help me shed some light on those days. The book is aptly named. Everything from metal and paper drives, blackouts, around the clock shipbuilding, and the Bund meetings in Yorkville in Manhattan, are talked about, with input from people from the various neighborhoods and how their individual lives were affected. Newspaper accounts of the times are discussed, and how Mayor LaGuardia rallied the population to rise to the occasion. Now that the author, Ms. Diehl, has done the research, she probably has enough material for a good novel on the subject of WWII NYC, and should seriously considers it.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in New York during WWII. It is meticulously researched and includes a ton of really great pictures. There's even one with a kid wearing a Mickey Mouse gas mask!

I'm 54 and from Brooklyn so this story holds a special place in my heart as I wonder what it was like for my parents back then. Now I feel like I have a much better understanding of that time.

And of course, there are many parallels between the New York of yesterday and the New York today especially after the World Trade Centers were destroyed. It seems to me that we were much better prepared for an attack during that time then we are today. I hope the powers-that-be will read this book.

Ms. Diehl, bravo on a job well done. I will read your other books.

Howie

This is a fascinating book that has a tremendous number of photos that adds greatly to the reader's enjoyment of it. The writing is sprightly, but the book conveys the sense of fear and peril that many New Yorkers felt, at least at the beginning of the war. This fear was fueled by the hystrionics of Mayor LaGuardia, who constantly spoke about almost imminent attack on the city. In his defense, however, he did ensure that the city's civil defense areas were up to date and ready for anything.

There are many different stories in this book, quite a few in the words of the folks who lived through those times. I really enjoyed reading about some of the things that happened and some of the famous (and not so famous) people who were involved in the city during the war years. The photos really helped to put me "in the picture" (so to speak), as they are often the best way to represent what went on, rather than just words on a page.

This book told me many things I had not known before about folks at home during the war, and although the big city life was vastly different from that in small towns, the fear and determination to succeed and win the war was universal. Read the book; I'm sure you'll enjoy it as much as I did.

OVER HERE! NEW YORK CITY DURING WORLD WAR II provides a blend of social and military history in considering the powerful connections between New York City and World War II. It was the hub of wartime activity as soldiers departed, Germans launched attacks in New York harbor, and war experiences changed the psyche and culture of the city itself. Fascinating reading for any New York or World War II general reader.

What a terrific book this is.
Over Here is beautifully structured with an ominous look at the Nazis in New York, and then the growing realization of the danger they (and the war) represent. New York's response to the threat of war is heartwarming and inspiring. The creation of the Bundles for Britain program is a great example - it even inspired a motion picture, Mr. Lucky, with Cary Grant. When America finally gets in the war for good the entire city becomes part of the War Effort from the shipbuilding in Brooklyn to the scanning for enemy U-Boats to the welcoming, entertaining, and sheltering of hundreds of thousands of servicemen. All the drama of the war itself is reflected in the reactions of the city and its inhabitants. Like all books about that period in history, Over Here becomes a real emotional experience - you root for the Allies and the city at the same time.
I kept thinking about another non-fiction book that had a similar effect on me - Seabiscuit Seabiscuit: An American Legend- an emotional roller coaster about a race horse.
Over Here is as exciting and as rewarding as that book proved to be with NYC taking the role of the horse.
Plus you'll find hundreds of little known facts that will start lots of interesting conversations. (The future rock empresario, young Bill Graham, for instance came to America with boatloads of child refugees from England at the beginning of the war).
I read it on my Kindle DX and I was pleased with the quality of the formatting and the reproductions of the many, many photographs. I'm glad I read the book and I'm looking forward to reading it all over again.