War Brides of World War II

One million marriages took place between U.S. military personnel and foreign nationals during and in the years immediately following World War II. The authors, themselves offspring from such unions, have done a remarkable job of gathering and analyzing the reminiscences of 2000 of these women (and a few men). Although the authors acknowledge the romantic nature of these unions, they also dwell on the hardships: official military obstacles to marriages; long waits for transport to the United States; and intense cultural shock in the new country.