World War I

* Reviews *

World War I represents one of the most devastating series of events in history. During a four year time period over ten million people lost their lives in a global conflict that was primarily focused in Europe. The world of trench warfare, aerial dog fights, fledgling tanks, and brutal head own assaults across no-mans land were emblazoned in the collective memory of the people who lived through those violent years. The United States was a relative latecomer to the conflict and only entered the war in 1917, three years after its commencement. In this illustrated work, noted author Zachary Kent presents the story of the American experience in the Great War. Beginning with precursor events such as the sinking of the passenger ship Lusitania, Kent takes his readers through the brutal days of World War I and tells the story of the American doughboys who sacrificed to oppose the power of Imperial Germany. As is the case with most of Kents writing, this story is well told. Kent touches not only on the chronology of events that made up the American experience in World War I, but also the human elements of that vast struggle. The experiences of common soldiers are peppered throughout the text in a way that affords readers an opportunity to get a feel for the terrible grit that was the soldiers experience in this bloody war. This book will serve its readers well as an introduction to World War I and the cost that conflict exacted from the people who fought, died, and supported the War to End All Wars., Children's Literature