I was surprised and disappointed that Richard M. Ketchum’s The Borrowed Years, 1938-1944: America on the Way to War was not included among the best books about the American experience. This fine work offers a detailed description of life in the United States during this period. It covers the Depression, events in Europe that affected the way we struggled between isolationism and our desire to help Britain survive Hitler’s assault, and our political atmosphere and foreign policy. It is swift-paced and deeply interesting reading—so much so that I have read it through twice.