Hello -
I was hoping to get multiple perspectives/advice on what should be my first book to read on world war II. I do read a lot of history etc but I have never dipped my toe into all that is WWII. I was trying to break down my study into a few different categories, though I don't know that this is the best method. The first question I wanted to answer and what I'm hoping to get book recommendations on is What was the cause of WWII? What are the things that led to WWII starting? Any books to recommend? Where should I start? Is this even a good place to begin or should I start with an overall book on the war versus this smaller piece?
Please help me begin this journey the right away!
My personal favorite book on WWII is Paul Fussel's Wartime, which focuses more on debunking the myth of the war as a "glorious" war. It does assume you know a basic history of the war, and it really offers a specific perspective instead of giving a general history, but as it's written by a WWII veteran and not a historian, it's not nearly as dry as some books.
I must admit that I haven't read too many books on the subject, however.