Non-Fiction Books of the 1940s Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Margaret Landon wrote the biography of Anna Leonowens based on Leonowens' memoir called "Romance of the Harem" and produced a novelization of those experiences. What was the name of that book?

Answer: Anna and the King of Siam

"Anna and the King of Siam" as been listed both as non-fiction and novel. The explanation has been that is 75% fact and 25% possible. Landon's 1944 book has been adapted for the stage and screen several times: in 1946 staring Rex Harrison and Irene Dunn; a Broadway musical in 1951 starring Gertrude Lawrence but with Yul Brynner who made the part of the king his own; in 1956 with Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner that had nine Academy Award nominations with four wins (the most notable was for Brynner for best actor); a 1972 television series with Samantha Eggar and Brynner that was cancelled mid-season; a cartoon version in 1999 with Martin Vidnovic and Miranda Richardson as the main voices (a box office failure); and a 1999 so-so retelling with Jodie Foster and Chow Yun-Fat.

2. William L. Shirer was primarily a radio reporter who in 1941 chronicled his seven year career reporting events in Nazi Germany. What was the name of his book that provided Americans an in-depth analysis of Nazism?

Answer: Berlin Diary

As the Third Reich under Adolf Hitler took more power, Shirer found that his reporting was coming under heavy censorship from Nazi authorities. In his book he used false names to protect those he left when he finally returned to the United States. If the world did not realize the dangers of the Third Reich, it would after "Berlin Diary".

In 1947 Shirer published "End of a Berlin Diary" that filled in the years and concluded with the Nuremberg trials. Both these were building blocks for William L. Shirer's 1960 "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" considered the finest chronicle of the era.

3. In the 1930s the rage was the card game Bridge. In the 2000s Texas Hold'em emerged. What was the 'in' game in the late 1940s, spurred by Ottilie H. Reilly's book?

Answer: Canasta

Ottilie H. Reilly published "Canasta, the Argentine Rummy Game" (1949) and it hit the best seller list even though it was a slim 61 pages. There were other books on the game often with South American writers but Reilly's book caught public attention. It helped to standardize the rules for consistency . Canasta is played with a double deck including the jokers. Canasta means 'basket' in Spanish and one could have a basket of cards if one should win the discards.

4. In 1945 Richard Wright published "Black Boy" which was called a "bildungsroman". In literary terms, what is a bildungsroman?

Answer: A novelization dealing with one person's formative years

Richard Wright wrote the book in two phases. First was his boyhood growing up in Mississippi; the second phase was his move to Chicago and his affiliation with the Communist Party. His publishers encouraged him to split the book. The first fourteen chapters were printed as "Black Boy" and it was a Book-of-the-Month selection that sold 350,000 copies. The last six chapters had various names but was more often referred to as "American Hunger". Later editions covered all twenty chapters.

It is to be noted that in 1940 Wright's novel "Native Son" was the first Book-of-the-Month selection by a Black author.

5. The "Thurber Carnival" has had many re-printings and editions. The most successful was the 1945 version. James Thurber was one of the best comic writers of the past century and an individualistic cartoonist as well. The book was a compilation of material first printed in what source?

Answer: New Yorker Magazine

Thurber was once an editor for the New Yorker. His friend, E.B. White, found discarded cartoons in the trash and encouraged Thurber to publish them. Through the years collections were printed from 1931 on, with new editions in 2014.

Resources list "The Thurber Carnival" as non-fiction although the contents are autobiographical, short stories, fables, and cartoons.

Thurber has made his way into film. "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" as been filmed twice, in 1947 with Danny Kaye is a lot of fun (Topockata--Topockata) and in 2013 with Ben Stiller (not so much fun). He also co-wrote "The Male Animal" in 1942.

If you have never seen a Thurber cartoon, his friend, Dorothy Parker, described them as having the "semblance of unbaked cookies".

6. Cornelia Otis Skinner and Emily Kimbrough, classmates at Bryn Mawr, set off for an unchaperoned tour of Europe. The result is an hilarious narrative written many years later. The memoir was a best seller in 1942 and a smash hit film in 1944. What was the name of both the book and film?

Answer: Our Hearts Were Young and Gay

Cornelia Otis Skinner was an actress who billed her self as a 'diseuse' or one who specialized in monologues. She dropped this after she found she was being billed as a 'disease'. She had a varied career, did her one person shows, mostly supporting characters in films, some television, wrote memoirs, plays, and essays.

Emily Kimbrough went on to write sixteen books, many magazine articles, and was the managing editor at the Ladies Home Journal.

Gail Russell starred as Cornelia Otis Skinner and Diana Lynn as Emily Kimbrough in the 1944 movie version that Skinner and Kimbrough helped write.

7. Richard Tregaskis was a war correspondent who spent much of his career covering conflicts, occasionally putting himself at risk. What was the South Pacific island where he wrote of the gritty day-to-day exploits of American marines?

Answer: Guadalcanal

In so-called 'War Colleges' where combat officers are trained for leadership, Richard Tregastis' "Guadalcanal Diary" is required reading as it deals less with the tactics of war but with the human side. Tregaskis, for instance, names the marines he spoke to, gives their rank and hometown. Tregastis was hit by a piece of shrapnel that damaged his helmet and nearly killed him. That shrapnel-gouged helmet is on display at the National Museum of the Marine Corps.

8. This 1948 book sold 750,000 copies and was translated into 13 languages. It is considered by many to be one of the most influential scientific books of the century. It played a key part in what was to be called later the sexual revolution. By what name is it commonly referred? (think main author)

Answer: The Kinsey Report

Next to the introduction of female contraceptives in the 1960s, the Kinsey Report was a major blow to long held issues of sexual morality based on religious, social, and customary mores. The actual scientific name was "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male" (1948), followed by "Sexual Behavior of the Human Female" in 1953.

Although it was popular with the general public and acknowledged as break-through research, it was heavily criticized in peer review. The profile of men who participated in the study was not fully random. It had men in prison, sexual minorities who volunteered, and perhaps an overabundance of sexual abusers. None-the-less, it marked the beginning of a fuller understanding of sexual behavior.

9. After this book was published in 1948, there was an upsurge in interest in becoming a Catholic priest. Men were entering monasteries across the world. What was the name of the book by Thomas Merton that caused such a stir?

Answer: The Seven Storey Mountain

At the age of 31 Merton entered Gethsemani Abbey in rural Kentucky after many years of seeking enlightenment. There he penned "The Seven Storey Mountain", an autobiographical account about his journey to find peace and serenity. The expectations for the book were not high so only 7500 copies were planned. But with 20,000 prepublication requests, eventually 100,000 went to press. Since then, it has nearly always been in print with 600,000 hard copies and three million paperback editions.

Merton was both a priest and a mystic who published seventy books during his life with themes of spirituality, social justice and pacifism. Profits from his books were donated to the Church. Because of his international notoriety he was given permission to travel within the context of his writings.

'Storey' is a reference to the mountain of Purgatory in Dante's "The Divine Comedy".

10. Betty MacDonald met her husband and moved to Washington state to begin their lives as chicken farmers. Her humorous book became a best seller in 1945 based on their chicken farm experiences and their interaction with neighbors and local native Americans. It was also the source material for a 1947 film starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. The book, "The Egg and I" and the film also elevated what minor characters to star characters in nine sequels?

Answer: The Kettles

Marjorie Main was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her classic portrayal of Ma Kettle. The book was disturbing to the neighbors. Native Americans were unhappy with the stereotypes of them. Neighbors Albert and Susanna Bishop sued claiming that the Kettles were based on them.

When it was revealed that Albert Bishop was making personal appearances carrying a chicken, the judge, who had presided at the Nuremberg trials, found for the defendants in both cases.

Source: Author Rehaberpro

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Much that was written was either about the war or the post-war period but many interesting books were published during this decade.

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