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D-Day: A Day That Changed America: They Fought to Free Europe from Hitler's Tyranny ReviewIf the first twenty minutes of Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" gives young students a graphic understanding of what it was like to storm the beaches at Normandy on June 6, 1944, then "D-Day: A Day That Changed America" will put the invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe in perspective. After all, the sub-title of Shelley Tanaka's book is "They Fought to Free Europe from Hitler's Tyranny." Consequently, this illustrated volume, with paintings by David Craig, both explains why this was the turning point of World War II in Europe and how the small parts of the invasion that readers might have seen in "Saving Private Ryan" or "Band of Brothers" fit into the big picture on D-Day (if you want the cinematic equivalent of what this book is trying to do then check out "The Longest Day," even though it is in black & white).
Tanaka tells the story of D-Day from the perspective of four eyewitnesses who survived the invasion: paratrooper Don Jakeway, fighter pilot Quentin Aanenson, seaman Bob Giguere, and combat medic Jack Fox. The order that we meet these four American soldiers allows the invasion to proceed chronologically. Young readers should appreciate the personal perspective of the story, which allows Tanaka to talk about what was happening with the entire invasion while also providing the intimate memories of her four soldiers, who were all in their eighties when they shared their stories. She makes it clear that not only was America changed by D-Day, but so where these four men. In addition to Craig's detailed paintings the text is complemented by historic photographs, pictorial maps, diagrams, and D-Day artifacts. There are also informative sidebars and features on topics like what the "D" in "D-Day" stands for and how the Allies fooled the enemy before and during the invasion. The result is a solid enough juvenile history of D-Day to provide young readers with a basic understanding of the invasion to build upon when they move on to more advanced works.
When I looked at the cover of this juvenile history of the Normandy Invasion I immediately agreed with the idea of this series and this particular example as "A Day That Changed America." After all, today is the third anniversary of 9/11 and the attack on the World Trade Center buildings and the Pentagon. There was a good indication of how much that particular day changed America in a new poll that reports over 70% of Americans believe the war against terrorism will never end. However, as much as those two days clearly fit the bill I have to say that the other volumes in the series are not as on point. After all, "Gettysburg" was a three-day battle, although Pickett's Charge on the third day is certainly considered the high-water mark of the Confederacy, "The Alamo" was a thirteen day siege and it was the Battle of San Jancinto that won Texas independence while having nothing to do with the United States until the republic was annexed, and the San Francisco "Earthquake!" did not really change much outside of the Bay Area in California. My point is that recognizing days in American history that truly changed the nation is a worthy effort and attention must be paid to what does and does not fit the bill.
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