About

Welcome to "The Best of World War II" - a resource for those who have an interest in World War II history. On this blog, I hope to introduce you to some new and old resources on the war, reviews of World War II movies, books, magazines, websites, and anything else that strikes my fancy.

Why Did I Start This Blog?

It's been several years now since I completed my MA in History. For my thesis, I focused on the German POW camp at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, during World War II. Since I had plenty of wonderful archival sources to work with, I became immersed in the time period. I'd already had an interest in World War II before this - I credit my father and my brothers with that love - and my research only deepened my interest.

It was a war that is still very much in people's memories - young and old alike. The Holocaust will forever remain an important aspect of this war, as it should be, as we struggle to understand why such a horrific act could happen in the "civilized" twentieth century. Veterans still cry when they dig deep into their memories and recall the days of hell they endured. Movies and books - both fiction and non-fiction - continue to be produced in an effort to understand this global event.

"The Best of World War II" is my humble contribution.


Melissa A. Amateis is a lifelong Nebraska resident. She holds a BA in history with a minor in English from Chadron State College and an MA in history from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her published short fiction has appeared in Emerging Voices and Futures for Story Lovers. She is a frequent contributor to America in WWII magazine. Her articles have appeared in Nebraska History and several historical encyclopedias. For her master’s thesis, she focused on the German POW Camp at Fort Robinson, Nebraska, during World War II. Her article, “Still the Old Marlene: Hollywood at the Fort Robinson Prisoner of War Camp” appeared in the Summer/Fall 2005 issue of Nebraska History and won the James L. Seller Memorial Award for Best Article of the Year. Her book, Nebraska POW Camps: A History of WWII Prisoners in the Heartland  was published in 2014 from The History Press. She is currently working on her second book, Nebraska During World War II, forthcoming in 2019 from The History Press. She is represented by Marlene Stringer of The Stringer Literary Agency.