Soldiers to Citizens: The G.I. Bill and the Making of the Greatest Generation: [1]

Journal of American Studies, 41 (2007), 3. doi:10.1017/S0021875807004173 Suzanne Mettler, Soldiers to Citizens: The G.I. Bill and the Making of the Greatest Generation (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, £17.99). Pp. xvi+252. ISBN 0 19 518097 6.

Despite the title, this is not another epic about the "greatest generation." Instead, it is the first in-depth study of the G.I. Bill and its impact on the lives of World War II veterans - delivered with a poignant political message. The core of Mettler's research is a survey of a representative sample of veterans. She suggests that the G.I. Bill was the single most successful piece of government legislation in American history. It...