Laura McEnaney is Professor of History at Whittier College and author of Civil Defense Begins at Home: Militarization Meets Everyday Life in the Fifties.

"Written with incredible skill and humanity, Postwar offers a fresh look at American life after World War II. Laura McEnaney has produced a remarkably engaging history of the diverse working-class migrants to and residents of the city of Chicago, telling new stories about where and how they lived, how hard this living was, and how many fought their own wars to ameliorate their difficulties. It's a book that no scholar of World War II or postwar America can afford to miss." (Jennifer Mittelstadt, Rutgers University) "Beautifully written, deeply researched, and analytically sophisticated, Postwar chronicles Chicago's 'crooked path to peace' after World War II, in particular how the city's large and varied working class lived the epic transitions from war to peace." (Thomas Guglielmo, George Washington University)

• List of AbbreviationsIntroduction. The EndChapter 1. Bathrooms, Bedrooms, and Basements: War Liberalism in the Postwar ApartmentChapter 2. Japanese Americans on Parole: The Perils and Promises of a Postwar StateChapter 3. Living the GI Bill: Postwar Prosperity Through Government DependencyChapter 4. "I Would Not Call This the More Abundant Life": Working-Class Women Get Their PeaceChapter 5. After the Double V: African Americans Demobilize for a "Real Peace"Conclusion. Writing the History of What Happened AfterNotesArchival Collections ConsultedIndexAcknowledgments

Laura McEnaney is Professor of History at Whittier College and author of Civil Defense Begins at Home: Militarization Meets Everyday Life in the Fifties.

"Written with incredible skill and humanity, Postwar offers a fresh look at American life after World War II. Laura McEnaney has produced a remarkably engaging history of the diverse working-class migrants to and residents of the city of Chicago, telling new stories about where and how they lived, how hard this living was, and how many fought their own wars to ameliorate their difficulties. It's a book that no scholar of World War II or postwar America can afford to miss." (Jennifer Mittelstadt, Rutgers University) "Beautifully written, deeply researched, and analytically sophisticated, Postwar chronicles Chicago's 'crooked path to peace' after World War II, in particular how the city's large and varied working class lived the epic transitions from war to peace." (Thomas Guglielmo, George Washington University)

• List of AbbreviationsIntroduction. The EndChapter 1. Bathrooms, Bedrooms, and Basements: War Liberalism in the Postwar ApartmentChapter 2. Japanese Americans on Parole: The Perils and Promises of a Postwar StateChapter 3. Living the GI Bill: Postwar Prosperity Through Government DependencyChapter 4. "I Would Not Call This the More Abundant Life": Working-Class Women Get Their PeaceChapter 5. After the Double V: African Americans Demobilize for a "Real Peace"Conclusion. Writing the History of What Happened AfterNotesArchival Collections ConsultedIndexAcknowledgments

Laura McEnaney is Professor of History at Whittier College and author of Civil Defense Begins at Home: Militarization Meets Everyday Life in the Fifties.

"Written with incredible skill and humanity, Postwar offers a fresh look at American life after World War II. Laura McEnaney has produced a remarkably engaging history of the diverse working-class migrants to and residents of the city of Chicago, telling new stories about where and how they lived, how hard this living was, and how many fought their own wars to ameliorate their difficulties. It's a book that no scholar of World War II or postwar America can afford to miss." (Jennifer Mittelstadt, Rutgers University) "Beautifully written, deeply researched, and analytically sophisticated, Postwar chronicles Chicago's 'crooked path to peace' after World War II, in particular how the city's large and varied working class lived the epic transitions from war to peace." (Thomas Guglielmo, George Washington University)

• List of AbbreviationsIntroduction. The EndChapter 1. Bathrooms, Bedrooms, and Basements: War Liberalism in the Postwar ApartmentChapter 2. Japanese Americans on Parole: The Perils and Promises of a Postwar StateChapter 3. Living the GI Bill: Postwar Prosperity Through Government DependencyChapter 4. "I Would Not Call This the More Abundant Life": Working-Class Women Get Their PeaceChapter 5. After the Double V: African Americans Demobilize for a "Real Peace"Conclusion. Writing the History of What Happened AfterNotesArchival Collections ConsultedIndexAcknowledgments