World War I: The American Soldier Experience

by Jennifer D. Keene

World War I explores the daily lives of the men and women who served the United States in the Great War. Relying extensively on letters, diaries, and reminiscences of those Americans who fought or served in World War I, Jennifer D. Keene reports on the training camp experience at home; the journey overseas; and the unique difficulties African Americans, Native Americans, women, and immigrants encountered in the predominately white and native-born army. She also describes in vivid detail the perspective of naval and air service personnel and, for those on the ground in France, the horrors of static trench warfare and active engagement in combat. Chapters describe coping with and treating disease and wounds; the devastating frequency of death; and for those who came home, the difficult reentry into civilian life, as well as the causes, strategic decisions, and political outcome of the war. This volume includes a timeline, illustrations, and an extensive bibliography of recommended sources.

Genres: History

234 pages, Paperback

First published October 30, 2006

About the author

As of 2001, Keene is an assistant professor of history at the University of Redlands (California)

Reviews

[archive ☄ · Rating 3 out of 5]

a decent survey that covers a lot of ground, and so (unsurprisingly) there are some errors here and there. most egregious in my opinion being keene's claim that no american troopships were sunk during the war..... have we all collectively forgotten the tuscania or..... 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[Christina Camacho · Rating 5 out of 5]

She does an incredible job of portraying the American soldier experience. She adds to the historiography of World War I greatly with this study. You get the feeling that these soldiers were built up and thrown into a war and then afterwards left with the consequences of their experiences because society wanted to move on. I really like how she portrayed the African American experience too.

[Thom Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

An objective review of America's performance, successes and failures, in the avoidable and brutal first world war. Keene is an authority on WWI.