The War Around Us

Wolfgang Peter May is no stranger to war. As a young child, he fled from his home in Breslau, Germany-now Wroclaw, Poland-during World War II and witnessed the destruction of Dresden. He immigrated to the United States and eventually joined the US Army. While in the army, he became an intelligence operations officer of the Fourth Armored Division in Germany, and he served in the Vietnam War. These life events profoundly impacted May's view of war. In The War Around Us, he explores and debates the many past and present faces of war. Juxtaposing his personal experiences with world events, May delivers a thought-provoking view of warfare. May discusses World War I, the development of the atomic bomb, war criminals, and the ineffectiveness of political leaders. He even comes to grips with his own war guilt from the Vietnam War and shares his family's experience in Germany during World War II. May's observations offer a sobering statement of how armed conflict can leave a legacy that will resonate for generations to come. Part memoir and part commentary, The War Around Us delivers a hard-hitting, first-person look at the true face of war.