World War I

(Hardback)

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Read the experiences of the men and women who served in a horrific war, across the sea-the Great War. Relying extensively on letters, diaries, and reminiscences of those Americans who fought or served in World War I, Jennifer Keene reports on training and camp requirements for enlistees and recruits; the details of the transport across the ocean of sailors, soldiers, and others being carried Over There; and the experiences of African Americans, women, Native Americans and immigrants in The White Man's Army. She also describes in vivid detail, The Sailor's War, and for those on the ground in France and Belgium, the events of static trench warfare, and movement combat. Chapters describe coping with and treating disease and wounds; the devastating amount of death; and for those who came home, the veterans' difficult entrances back into civilian life. A timeline, extensive bibliography or recommended sources, and illustrations add to the usefulness of the volume

Reviews

Keene offers a solid introduction to the trials and tribulations experienced by American soldiers as they took part in the World War.In a clear and concise manner, she begins with an overview of the events leading to the American declaration of war. She then proceeds through the drafting and training of the army, the process of adjusting to fighting overseas, and the frustrations of men waiting to return home after achieving victory.The real value in Keene's work is her ability to look beyond the trenches of the Western Front, which have long dominated any discussion of the World War, and illuminate the struggles of a people and a nation engaging in their first truly international and modern war.[A] welcome addition to the library of the casual reader and the serious scholar alike. * The Journal of Military History *
Keene provides, for students and general readers, an account of the daily lives of American enlisted men during World War I, recounting their experiences from training camps to France and back home. She gives an overview of the causes of the war and the overall strategy, but focuses mostly on their experiences in service. Topics discussed include the effect of the war on men and women at home; morale, personal habits, and religion; diversity, particularly the experiences of African American and foreign born soldiers and female nurses and war workers; fighting and service roles; casualties, death, and the 1918 influenza pandemic; the reaction of soldiers to the Armistice; and their postwar lives. * Reference & Research Book News *

Author Bio

Jennifer D. Keene is an Associate Professor of History and Chair of the department at Chapman University in southern California. She is the author of Doughboys, the Great War and the Remaking of America (2001) and The United States and the First World War (2000). She has received numerous fellowships for her research, including a Mellon Fellowship, a Graves Award, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Award to France, an Albert J. Beveridge Research Grant, and a National Research Council Postdoctoral Research Award.