The People's War: reliving Life on the Home Front in World War II, by Felicity Goodall Reader's Digest, £25, hardback, pub Oct 2008, ISBN: 9780276443916.

Reviewed by Alf Wilkinson

This large hard-back book is very much a library and/or reference book. Its main attraction is the collection of photographs and posters, many A4 size, one or two in colour, that will be superb for using as evidence in the classroom. It tells the story of WW2 in the words of ordinary people who were there, who recorded their thoughts, views and letters; whether during the Blitz, under occupation in the Channel Islands, as an evacuee, or in any other capacity. The frontispiece is a rather eye-catching full page photograph of a wedding - the bride in white, in a bombed-out church: what better epitomises the 'Blitz Spirit?' Many of the first-hand accounts are familiar to us, but many are not; and teachers will find plenty of ammunition for life on the Home Front there. The accounts, as is the whole book, mainly belong to the 'muddle through, and 'we're all in this together' philosophy - for Secondary teachers it might have been better to have a selection of sources reflecting the darker side of the topic. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a large selection of photographs and primary sources then this coffee-table style book provides it in buckets!