William K. Klingaman

Mount Tambora erupted in April of 1815, throwing a vast amount of ash and chemicals high into the atmosphere. The result was spectacular sunsets in 1815, some moody weather the rest of the year, but then, through a chain of macro-climate events, a way colder than normal 1816. Thus, in Europe and North America especially (though the epilogue notes the impact in China and India too) a lot of cold, a lot of precipitation (snow when it shouldn't be, too much rain in other spots) and the "Year show more Without a Summer" of the title.

The text is well-written, maybe a bit too thorough for some readers. There are a bunch of quotations from primary sources, exposition on those sources, all interspersed with explanations of the science (meteorology, geology, and climatology). As a historian and professor of history, I found it very engaging. The impact on food production and thus the economy is well told. Background is given when needed to understand the effects. The impact on religion and literature get their due too. Most famously, the severe weather drove Shelly, his wife Mary, and Byron ("mad, bad, and dangerous to know") indoors in Switzerland, thus leading to Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly's writing of the famous Frankenstein.

The book is written by a historian and (I assume his son) a Ph.D. in meteorology. Thus good history and good science. It is copiously endnoted (though in the dumb semi-quote then short note style I abhor from modern popular publishers. Then follows an extensive bibliography (huzzah!) and a serviceable index. I knock down this book from five to four-and-a-half stars for one glaring inanity: the complete lack of maps, charts, and/or images. Surely a map of Mount Tambora's location? Surely a diagram showing how ash and acid pushed into the atmosphere? Surely maps of currents or jet streams or general weather over the year 1816? None. Nada. Zilch. No images (aside from the cover illustration of unknown provenance). No images of eruptions, or conditions, or cold. There is talk of all the painters painting vivid sunsets in 1815/6 (see Wikipedia). None. Nada. Zilch. No images of major "characters" in the book: Byron, Shelly, John Quincy Adams, Madison, Raffles, Wellington, Castlereagh, Napoleon, Peel, whomever. None. Nada. Zilch. In this day and age, in a book by a popular publisher, this is a strange decision, and a valid criticism. show less

People who think that Americans were united behind the war effort during World War 2 will be set straight by this fascinating, eye-opening look at the American home front during the first year of the war. Focusing on the year from Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, to December 7, 1942, the author examines all aspects of American life and how they were impacted by the war, with a particular emphasis on areas where the populace disagreed with, or went even further, such as rationing and show more hoarding.

However, the best parts of this highly readable and always compelling book focused on the little things a reader might not think of. How weather forecasts were vague, so as not to give information away to the enemy. Even sports announcers could not say that a ballgame had been rained out.

This riveting, outstanding, well-written book will hold a top place on my list of favorite books of 2019. It's one I'd highly recommend to those who love to read about American history.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Net Galley, in exchange for a fair and honest review.) show less

This book was phenomenal. I have been reading a lot about World War II and many books told me information that I had never heard and others clarified details for me, however, this book was filled with details of what my parents and others of their generation went through after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the steps that were made by the government to fight in the war.

The Home Front was almost immediately changed by the entry into the war - the general population appeared stunned by the show more attack and the immediate declaration of war but since Christmas was so close and the attack so far away for those on the east coast, no immediate changes were made to people's actions. Still, the government set to work to get our armed forces in fighting stance.

Schools, housing, manufacturing, were prompted to prepare for the changes in society. School Administrators accelerated curriculum so that undergraduate degrees were 3 years instead of four, sometimes 2, so that students would stay in school. But enrollments declined up to 20% in 1942 when the draft age was lower to 20. Professional schools were also sped up - Medical Colleges changed from 4 years to 3, law schools from 3 to 2. Lower grades had their summer vacations changed to run from May to November so teenagers could help out on the farms with the harvest. One downfall of the shorter education time was disqualification of recruits for lack of arithmetic skills. Teachers were also in short supply having been drafted.

Because of the draft, there was an increase in marriages (originally married men were not classified as 1A but as 1B). Men who were recruited to work in the defense industry, found that when they moved to the cities that there was little housing for families in the area of the factories.

Seattle put workers into boats, trailers, garages, chicken coops, attics, and basements. Brooklyn Navy yard workers were housed in tenement barracks, Norfolk-Portsmouth sheltered 7,000 families in 100 trailer camps. Other workers slept in their cars, armchairs at boardinghouses. Frequently, factories would hire new workers only to lose more because of housing conditions.

But the home front had even more difficulties with supply chains (sound familiar?).

Due to the need for metal and rubber - once store shelves were empty of items they would not return until after the war. Refrigerators, radios, mixers, radiators, lawn mowers, toasters, dishwashers, percolators, phonographs, Xmas tree bulbs, electric razors, TVs, zippers, sewing machines, flashlights, irons, vacuum cleaners, plastic or metal ashtrays, coat hangers, playground equipment all became hot commodities after Pearl Harbor as items were added to the rationing list.

Beer was moved to Quart glass bottles to save metal on bottle caps.
Razor blades were restricted to 1 blade per adult male per week.
Panic buying showed a 25% increase in department store sales and some merchants actually asked shoppers to stop buying so much.

Clothing manufacturers made changes - eliminating pleats, trouser cuffs, shoulder pads, shortened suit coats, narrowed collars and lapels, and did away with the 2nd pair of pants.

Gasoline and tire rationing - nearly all the gas stations in the gas-rationed areas were dry; drivers stalked gasoline delivery trucks to follow them to their station of delivery so as to be first in line to fill up. Rubber was the main reason for gas rationing. Rubber tires were in short supply and even when the nation was informed about the shortage and the need to reduce non-essential travel, people still drove their vehicles for pleasure. By rationing gas, it was hoped that the tires that were currently on the vehicles could be maintained for the duration of the war.

Distilleries that could turn grain into 190 proof ethyl alcohol were ordered to make nothing else shutting down production of bourbon, rye, and gin.

War isn't cheap and FDR asked Congress to set a 100% levy on all individual incomes over $25,000 and on married couples over $50,000. This would have effected about 11,000 people including FDR and would only have generated about $200M revenue.
$25,000 in 1942 had the same "purchasing power" or "buying power" as $456,611.96 in 2022.

But the most demoralizing aspect on the home front was the lack of information as to the events of the war. Dangerous to the nation's morale was the military's inability to tell the public the truth.
CA congressman accused the War Dept of issuing "fake reports" (sound familiar?)

Newspapers, radio stations, and TV weren't permitted to give any "bad news" because the government didn't think the public could handle it. They weren't even allowed to give a weather report because spies might be able to use that information.

As more and more men went into the armed forces, the labor shortage became acute and the employment of women and Negros became a necessity that factory owners were not happy about. Unions frequently would not permit women members.

"Once women starting working at defense plants, aircraft executives acknowledged that their female employees required less supervision, suffered fewer accidents, inflicted less damage on tools, increased productivity, and were less likely to quit then men."

"Automakers, however, resisted as long as possible preferring qualified male workers but as the draft impacted the labor available, they were forced to consider other options." Labor unions were afraid that women workers would reduce the wage scales. Ford kept women away from the assembly lines until they were ordered by the War Dept to hire 12,000 women for the bomber plant in Willow Run but Ford fought its order because of inability to "define acceptable attire" for them.

Shipyards were no easier. The Intl Brotherhood of Boilermakers (union) did not accept women members. Union leaders said shipyards were too dangerous for women. As resistance lessened, most employers still refrained from hiring women over 25.

FDR in a fireside chat noted that businesses had no choice "In some communities, employers dislike to employ women. In others, they are reluctant to hire Negroes. In still others, older men are not wanted. We can no longer afford to indulge such prejudices or practices." Interesting that 80 years later we still have prejudices against women, blacks, and the elderly.

Unfortunately, I never got a chance to talk to either of my parents about their experiences during the war. I know that my father and several of his brothers worked at the shipyard in Baltimore. My parents were married during the war but because my father enlisted in the Merchant Marine, they were not living on their own, my mother was with her parents while my Dad was at sea. This book was tremendous at bringing to light the hardships and fears that civilians had to handle.

Seems like a book that should be read by the younger generations so that they could better understand deprivation. show less

In April of 1815, Mount Tambora in Indonesia erupted spectacularly, throwing immense amounts of ash and droplets of sulfuric acid into the atmosphere. By the next year, a good portion of the world was experiencing summer temperatures lower than any in living memory. Some areas were plagued by drought, others by seemingly perpetual torrential rains. Crops failed, and famine and unrest predictably followed. No one at the time knew what was causing this, although plenty of theories were put show more forward, and it wasn't until much later that the volcano's contribution was truly understood.

This book covers in some depth the effect of this weather on Europe and North America (with a lot of attention paid, in particular, to France, England, and the United States), including its influences on politics, economics, emigration, and literature. The writing is a bit dry, and it gets very, very repetitive, with endless, near-identical quotes from various local weather reports and news sources, in a way that feels more suitable for an academic tome than a supposedly popular work of historical non-fiction. And yet, it's rather compelling, nonetheless, and does leave one reflecting in interesting ways on the precariousness of the world and the highly contingent nature of history. show less