Garrett Graff's 6 favorite books that shine new light on World War II
The author recommends works by James D. Hornfischer, Craig L. Symonds, and more

Garrett Graff's new book, The Devil Reached Toward the Sky, is an oral history of the first atomic bomb. Below, the best-selling author of The Threat Matrix, The Only Plane in the Sky, and Watergate: A New History recommends six World War II books.
'Tower of Skulls' by Richard B. Frank (2020)
This first volume of a coming trilogy traces the first five years of Japan's war in East Asia, all but the final months occurring before the U.S. entered the war after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tower of Skulls will forever reframe how most Americans understand the war's roots and scope. Buy it here.
'Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers' by James D. Hornfischer (2004)
This is an incredibly detailed and propulsive narrative that captures one of the great naval battles of the war, the Oct. 25, 1944, Battle of Samar, in which a small, dramatically outgunned U.S. task force held off a large Japanese fleet. Buy it here.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
'Black Snow' by James M. Scott (2022)
Scott's book documents and explains how the 1945 firebombing of Japanese cities by Gen. Curtis LeMay's massive B-29 fleet brought total war to Japan months before the atomic bomb did. The horrific night raids leveled large swaths of more than 60 cities, killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, and created, in many ways, the permission structure for the use of nuclear weapons. Buy it here.
'Nimitz at War' by Craig L. Symonds (2022)
You've probably never thought a biography of Chester Nimitz, the grizzled, hard-fighting admiral who headed the American war effort in the Pacific, could be laugh-out-loud funny. But naval historian Symonds mined a wide range of sources to build a highly personable study of leadership under the most trying conditions. Buy it here.
'Road to Surrender' by Evan Thomas (2023)
The debate over whether the U.S. was right to drop two atomic bombs on Japan has ebbed and flowed over the years, but Thomas used new documents in this important recent book to show that Japan's surrender, even after the bombings, was hardly a foregone conclusion. Buy it here.
'Fallout' by Lesley M.M. Blume (2021)
The U.S. tried hard for years to downplay the reality of the devastation and death from the atomic bombs. Blume does a masterful job tracing the "cover-up" and the efforts by brave survivors and journalists, particularly The New Yorker's John Hersey, to share the stunning true story with the world. Buy it here.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How the One Piece manga flag became a Gen Z resistance symbol
The Explainer Straw-hat skull seen at protests in Indonesia, Nepal and France shows how young people are ‘reshaping the vocabulary of dissent’
-
Dive into Palau’s underwater wonderland
The Week Recommends A luxury Four Seasons catamaran is the ideal jumping-off point for the reefs, wrecks and coral islands of this unspoilt archipelago
-
Sea Containers London: new suites bring maritime flair to Southbank
The Week Recommends Four luxury suites inspired by the Golden Age of ocean liners are crammed with antiques that you can buy
-
6 rustic homes on ranches
Feature Featuring copper kitchen counters in Colorado and a 380-acre property in California
-
Steve: a ‘gripping’ drama starring Cillian Murphy
The Week Recommends Murphy plays the frazzled headmaster of a boarding school for ‘delinquent’ boys in this bold Indie film
-
The Lady from the Sea: a ‘thrillingly contemporary’ Ibsen adaptation
The Week Recommends ‘Luminous’ cast dazzle in Simon Stone’s ‘hugely enjoyable’ production
-
Black Rabbit: slick crime thriller set in a high-end New York restaurant
The Week Recommends Two Manhattan brothers resort to ‘ever-more high-stakes’ schemes to tackle ‘huge’ gambling debts in the ‘glossy’ series
-
One Battle After Another: a ‘terrifically entertaining’ watch
The Week Recommends Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest release is a ‘high-octane action thriller’ and a ‘surefire Oscar frontrunner’
-
The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: a novel of ‘undeniable power’
The Week Recommends Kiran Desai’s first novel in nearly 20 years is an ‘enthralling love story’ set across India and the US
-
Color Theories: Julio Torres’ one-man show
Performance Space New York Performance Space New York
-
The 2025 Emmys: A big night for newcomers
Feature The 77th Emmys were full of surprises, from shocking wins and moving speeches to a host’s charity stunt that backfired