World War II (Jeff Shaara) Books In Order

Publication Order of World War II: 1939-1945 Books

A son of an Italian migrant, Jeff Shaara was born and raised in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the year 1952. After some time his family relocated to Tallahassee, Florida. In the year 1974, Jeff Shaara, graduated from the well-established Florida State University, with an undergraduate degree in criminology. At the age of 16, Jeff Shaara was in charge of a rare coin business, in his home before eventually relocating to a retail store. Later on, Jeff Shaara relocated to Tampa, where he made a name for himself by becoming one of the biggest dealers in coin and precious metals market in Florida. Jeff Shaara’s father passed away in the year 1988. After the death of his father, Jeff decided to sell his business and in turn took over his father’s estate. His father was also a prolific writer of novels.

When Gettysburg, a motion picture was released in the year 1993, based on his father’s book titled, the Killer Angel, Jeff Shaara was not only approached but also persuaded to continue with the story that his father had begun. He was also informed that if he was not willing to work on the project, then he should find someone else who would be willing to work on it. This was right after the movie perfomed extremely well. After some consideration and soul-searching, Jeff Shaara decided that he should give the project a try. The main reason why Jeff Shaara was hesitant at first, was because he had no prior writing experience. In the year 1996, Ballantine Books Publishers published Jeff’s debut novel. Gods and Generals, was the title of the novel and was used as a prequel to his father’s novel. The novel managed to get into the bestsellers list of New York Times and remained on the list for more than fifteen weeks. Critics from different corners of the world praised Jeff Shaara for his unique writing ability and penning down the novel as well.

Due to his unique writing skills, Jeff Shaara was awarded a Boyd Award by the American Library Press, which is one of the most prestigious literary awards in the United States. Everyone including Jeff Shaara was shocked. Gods and Generals is a book that focuses on the events which occurred between the year 1858 and 1963, a period when America was rocked with the civil wars. The novel ended with the armies matching towards Gettysburg. By copying his father’s approach, Jeff focused on three important army officers, Lieutenant Joshua Chamberlain, Lt. Gen Robert E. Lee and Winfield Scotthan Cock. In this book, Jeff Shaara depicts the emotional drama of the soldiers who are fighting against their old friends. Jeff Shaara also reveals accurately all the historical details such as troop movement, tactical combat situations, and troop movement as well. This book also depicts a weary General Hancock, a day before he fires on his old time friend, LT. Lewis of the Confederate Army.

This novel also reveals Lee’s disillusionment with the Confederate bureaucracy and the general’s religious fervor. The rest of the book covers all the major events that eventually lead to the war. The novel includes the battles of the 1st Bull Run, William burg, the Second Bull Run, Fredricksburg and Chancellorsville. In the year 1998, the author, Jeff Shaara came up with the sequel to the book, titled The Last Full Measure. The Last Full Measure remained on top of the bestseller’s list for more than 13 weeks. The novel also gained universal praise from critics and fans alike from different states and countries. The Rising Tide is the first book in the World War II book series by Jeff Shaara. The worst catastrophe in the United States history, happened in the year 1927 when the Mississippi river flooded. More than 1,000 people were killed, and approximately 9000,000 people were left without a home from Cairo III all the way to New Orleans.

The flooding had a far-reaching effect on the American society as revealed in this epic redolent with gothic desires. The flood managed to shatter the myth of a bond between the Southern aristocracy and the Delta blacks. The principal occupants of the Red Cross refugee camps were the victims of African American descent. The African Americans were not only killed but also harassed, by both civilians and the police officers as well. It is also reported that the blacks were given minimal food so as to avoid starvation, denied federal repatriation through legalistic maneuvers, and were also compelled by gun wielding Guardsmen to work in exceedingly dangerous levees. The flooding of the Mississippi river triggered an exodus of black Americans who resided in the South to Los Angeles and Chicago. With that said, author Jeff Shaara managed to deliver an exceedingly detailed world in his first installment in the military series that focuses on World War II. Built on a solid foundation of historical fact, the Rising Tide puts the readers at the center of war by tracing the interactions and activities of several characters.

Some of these characters were real life heroes such as General Dwight Eisenhower, while others were larger than life was personalities such as Winston Churchill and Erwin Patton. The author also provides a grounds eye view through the perspectives of several troops that were engaged in the major battles as well. If you are a person who enjoys military strategy and tactics, with a steady dose of the world of politics driving the military action, then you are going to fall in love with this book. Despite the fact that The Rising Tide is a not a character driven book or a study of some of the key figures of World War II, the author still manages to integrate several key personalities with an exceedingly deft and subtle hand, which in turn provides the emotional fuel that the novel required. Shaara’s writing style is resonant of the battle scenes in Killers of Angels, a book that his father penned down; a short and clipped style that favors, sparsity of language over loquaciousness.

With that said, The Rising Tide is a fantastic read. It is exceedingly clear that the author has done a fantastic job of researching his story and then penning down a gripping and fact based account, which is a little bit short of real history.