The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War

by Chad L. Williams

The dramatic story of W. E. B. Du Bois's reckoning with the betrayal of Black soldiers during World War I ― and a new understanding of one of the great twentieth-century writers.

When W. E. B. Du Bois, believing in the possibility of full citizenship and democratic change, encouraged African Americans to “close ranks” and support the Allied cause in World War I, he made a decision that would haunt him for the rest of his life. Seeking both intellectual clarity and personal atonement, for more than two decades Du Bois attempted to write the definitive history of Black participation in World War I. His book, however, would never be finished. In The Wounded World , Chad L. Williams tells the dramatic story of Du Bois’s failed efforts to complete what would have been one of his most significant works. The surprising account of this unpublished book lends new insight into Du Bois’s struggles to reckon with both the history and the troubling memory of the war, along with the broader meanings of race and democracy for Black people in the twentieth century.

Drawing on a wide range of sources, most notably Du Bois’s unpublished manuscript and research materials, Williams tells a sweeping story of hope, betrayal, disillusionment, and transformation, setting into motion a fresh understanding of the life and mind of arguably the most important scholar-activist in African American history. In uncovering what happened to Du Bois’s largely forgotten book, Williams offers a captivating reminder of the importance of World War I, why it mattered to Du Bois, and why it continues to matter today.

Genres: History, Biography, Nonfiction, Race, World War I, Politics, War

560 pages, Paperback

Published April 2, 2024

About the author

Chad Williams is the Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies at Brandeis University. Chad earned a BA with honors in History and African American Studies from UCLA, and received both his MA and Ph.D. in History from Princeton University. He specializes in African American and modern United States History, African American military history, the World War I era and African American intellectual history.

His first book, Torchbearers of Democracy: African American Soldiers in the World War I Era, was published in 2010 by the University of North Carolina Press. Widely praised as a landmark study, Torchbearers of Democracy won the 2011 Liberty Legacy Foundation Award from the Organization of American Historians, the 2011 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for Military History and designation as a 2011 CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title. He is co-editor of Charleston Syllabus: Readings on Race, Racism and Racial Violence (University of Georgia Press, 2016) and Major Problems in African American History, Second Edition (Cengage Learning, 2016).

Chad has published articles and book reviews in numerous leading journals and collections. He has earned fellowships from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University, the American Council of Learned Societies, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, the Ford Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson Foundation.

His next book, The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War, will be published on April 4, 2023 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Reviews

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

It pains me to rate this 3 stars, but like W.E.B. Du Bois' long promised and never delivered manuscript on the African-American experience in WWI, this book could have benefitted from some serious pruning.

Anywho, I was mostly frustrated by this great man who maintained mountains of precious military documents and artifacts for years while committing to his great work in fits and starts. He's the original GRR Martine. When will the Winds of Winter be completed? Whenever The Black Man and the Wounded World is done (spoiler alert: never).

[Kevin Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Du Bois setting out to write a book, only to get distracted by 4829 other projects, is relatable as hell.

[Steven Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

W.E.B Du Bois devoted his life’s work to achieving equal citizenship for all African Americans. He worked tirelessly to achieve his goals after becoming the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard University and would go on to teach social sciences at Atlanta University, become one of the founders of the NAACP, edited “The Crisis” magazine which was his megaphone to the black community, lectured worldwide, promoted African and West Indian rights against colonial powers, and published a series of thought provoking books. Du Bois was a firm believer that for African Americans to achieve full civil rights and political representation they would have to be led by a black intellectual elite – the key being advanced education that would lead to leadership. He targeted racism, lynchings, Jim Crow laws, and all types of discrimination in his writing and public appearances.

One of the most controversial aspects of his belief system was supporting America’s entrance into World War I, a decision he would come to regret. He argued that if African Americans joined the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in Europe to fight Germany and showed their talent and bravery it would raise their level of acceptance by the American people upon their return resulting in greater rights of freedom and safety. This dream was negated by the reality of American racism , covert and overt violence, and persecution - all conditions consistent with the African American experience throughout American history. Even US Army officials exhibited extreme racism and blatant lies as they erroneously depicted the combat experience of African American troops in Europe.

To atone for this grievous error in judgement, Du Bois wanted to set the historical record straight as World War I did not prove to be the catalyst for equal rights. His strategy centered on a book he would spend nearly two decades entitled, THE BLACK MAN AND THE WOUNDED WORLD. His effort was never completed nor published but it has become the core of an important new monograph by Chad L. Williams, THE WOUNDED WORLD: W.E.B. DUBOIS AND THE FIRST WORLD WAR.

Williams’ book is a comprehensive study of how Du Bois went about achieving his goals. He recounts his battles with the NAACP to obtain funding and support, his battles with fellow historians who he competed with him in trying to produce the definitive study of the war, the role of his ego which did not allow him to accept enough assistance and share the limelight, his writings, particularly in the NAACP magazine, “The Crisis” which he edited, his travels worldwide promoting the Pan African world, and most importantly disseminating his ideas and research a function of his relationship with black veterans of the war, and a firm belief that American racism was destroying black progress, and the colonial European powers imprisoned people of color in a system where they could not achieve progress.

Williams’ approach is a carefully developed thesis supported by numerous excerpts from Du Bois’ writings and commentary buttressed by accounts provided by friends and foes alike, in addition to communications with black veterans and competing historians. Williams fully explores Du Bois’ ideology which rested on his fear that if Germany were victorious in the war its racist government would negatively impact “Black folk” and brown people throughout the world. He knew Germany well having studied at the University of Berlin providing him with firsthand knowledge of the Kaiser’s march toward autocracy, militarism, and empire. He argued that black loyalty to England, France, and Belgium was of the utmost importance despite their colonial records. He believed an allied victory representing democracy was the only acceptable outcome in the war. However, the result of this call to duty was dominated by racism in the military as whites refused to serve with blacks, military leaders refused to allow black officers to command black troops resulting in southern white racist officers treating black soldiers with contempt and at times violence. Williams mentions examples of black officers like Major Charles Young, a graduate of West Point, but being an exceptional soldier did not allow him to fulfill the role Du Bois sought for him and others as the leaders of a new generation of blacks who would gain acceptance from American society.

Williams portrays the lies put forth by military authorities when it came to black officers and their service, the performance of the 369th and 92nd divisions of the army, particularly the 368th Infantry Regiment, known as the Harlem Hell fighters, who were assigned to the French Army in April 1918. The Hell fighters saw much action, fighting in the Second Battle of the Marne, as well as the Meuse-Argonne Offensive, where black officers were blamed for the slow progress of the offensive with white officers falsely reporting on the performance of thousands of black troops. The treatment of black soldiers carried over into their medical care during and after the war where at first, black doctors and nurses were not allowed to treat black veterans at the new Tuskegee Institute Hospital.

When black veterans returned home they were met with violence and race riots resulting in the deaths of over a thousand people in Tulsa, OK, Chicago, IL, Knoxville, TN, Phillips County, AK, Charleston, SC, and Washington, DC all described in detail by the author. Further with the 1919 Red Scare many blamed black soldiers for bringing communism to America when they returned from Europe. When confronted with the reality of the African American soldier’s experience during their training, the war itself, and the reception they received upon returning from the battlefield, Du Bois committed himself to telling their story.

Williams pulls no punches in presenting Du Bois’ failed odyssey in completing his work. First, he was overwhelmed with materials from his own travels to France to conduct research and influence the Paris Peace Conference. Second, he could never get a handle on the voluminous amounts of material sent to him by black veterans. Third, his intense schedule that saw him work for Pan-African conferences and other causes. Lastly, his other writings, lectures, and as mentioned before his ego which did not allow him to work successfully with others. Further, he distorted his own experiences praising France for using Senegalese troops in the war and their treatment of blacks. All one has to do is examine the French colonial experience to see how wrong he was. Another example is his visit to the Soviet Union in 1926 and for a time believing in the “Marxist wonderland.”

In the latter part of the narrative Williams explores Du Bois’ life work particularly his realization that his World War I opus would never be completed. The 1920s to 1945 period produced a great deal of success academically with the publication of BLACK RECONSTRUCTION, a widely accepted history of African Americans from 1850 to 1876. In explaining Du Bois’ ideas in his books and other writings Williams traces Du Bois evolution ideologically as he argued that racism and colonization were responsible for two world wars and the failings of democracy pushing him further to the left. As he grew older Du Bois concluded that even after World War II, African Americans were confronted with the same hostility and violence as they did in the post 1918 period. Much to Du Bois’ dismay it was apparent that the arguments he developed for decades pertaining to racism and colonization still applied and he would work assiduously to ameliorate this situation until his death.

Throughout the two decades of preparing the book Du Bois had to overcome his “Close Ranks” editorial from the war supporting the use of African American troops in the war as a vehicle to obtain equality. His decision was wrong, and he would pay a price professionally and personally. Williams describes Du Bois’ effort as his most significant work to never reach the public as he struggled to finish his manuscript and the legacy of the war, however, “By rendering this story in such rich archival detail, Williams’s book is a fitting coda to Du Bois’s unfinished history of Black Americans and the First World War.”*

• Matthew Delmont. “W.E.B. Du Bois and the Legacy – and Betrayal – of Black Soldiers,” New York Times, April 4, 2023.

[Book Club of One · Rating 4 out of 5]

W. E. B. Du Bois was the great American sociologist, socialist, historian, Pan-Africanist civil rights activist and co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). During the US's build up to join world war, Du Bois was considered the foremost Black American thinker and leader. World War I would serve as a catalyst for US Society, undergoing rapid and wide ranging change including the Great Migration, rise in lynchings and reestablishment of the KKK, anti-imperialism as a political force, the USA as a global power and the beginnings of isolationism.

In The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War, Professor Chad L Williams centers Du Bois's work during the war, and how the struggle to advance Black Americans' civil rights shaped Du Bois writings and philosophy for peace after the war. Du Bois set out to write THE Black American experience of World War I, drawing from the official records; photos, letters and memoirs of the veterans; and his own research and writings.

This is an in-depth look at Du Bois, we get a full biography, but the book is focused on Du Bois in the twentieth century. It is through his writings (letters, articles or other documents) that we see the course of World War I and Du Bois's changing viewpoint. Initially, the European conflict was the foreseeable end point of the quests for imperial territory. However, once the United States joined the war it was an opportunity to spread the democratic ideals of the US both internally and globally. It is through this perspective that Du Bois went all in for the war, despite being a pacifist. He even pursued joining the military. The publishing "Close Ranks," in July 1918 brought Du Bois to the nadir of his influence only redeemed through the NAACP's assignment of writing the history of the Black American experience during the world war.

Williams centers this narrative arc as a tragedy, across twelve chapters. Divided into parts of four, we begin with "Hope" (Part 1, Chapters 1 - 4) before falling into "Disillusion" (part 2, Chapters 5 - 8), ending with "Failure" (Part 3, chapters 9-12). Throughout Du Bois remains very active, publishing articles in several newspapers and many books (Including: Darkwater, The Gift of Black Folk and Black Reconstruction), with the biggest and most ambitious project, eventually named The Black Man and the Wounded World perpetually in progress and seeking the funds to complete it.

An excellent work of scholarship that is both an in-depth biography and a close study of the Black American experience in early 20th century America. Pairs well with Matthew Delmont's Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad .

I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher.

[Terry Quire · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I wanted to like this book more than I did given the gravity and importance of the subject. Williams writing is a bit stiff and lacks a good angle to come at this story, which centers around Du Bois’s decades-long attempt to finish his history of the African American experience during WW1. The more riveting parts of the book center around Du Bois’s response to watershed moments in civil rights in the early 20th century, the snippets of his prose that are highlighted throughout the book, and his internal debate and regret at first supporting the war. Unfortunately, the heart of the book focuses more on the minutiae of Du Bois’s attempts to find funding for his history. His frustration ended up just being my frustration as well. Consequently, the book suffers from being overlong.

[Jon B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well-researched and well documented work. Tremendous. I cannot say enough about this, so I will say, those that decide on non-fiction book awards at the end of the year, keep this one on your short list.

[Trevor Seigler · Rating 4 out of 5]

In trying to make sense of the First World War (and perhaps his own complicity in encouraging Black Americans to fight in it), scholar and historian W.E.B. Du Bois endeavored to write a history of the war that would place the struggle of colonial people front and center. His book, a massive manuscript of over a thousand pages, was never published, but its impact on Du Bois was substantial. Where some might see the lack of "The Black Man and the Wounded World" in print as a failure, others would argue that the process of writing it changes Du Bois' life for the better, opening his eyes even more to the injustices that he had spent his life protesting against.

"The Wounded World," by Chad L. Williams, is a moving account of Du Bois' decades-long struggle to realize his dream of an authoritative history of the First World War, placing Black Americans and other people of color front and center in a way that few other writers on the subject would do so. His essay in "The Crisis," the newspaper of the NAACP, put him front and center in the drive to enlist Black Americans into the war effort, but Du Bois received significant pushback for doing so. He believed that, if Black men enlisted to fight for the Allied side, they would be rewarded with greater civil rights at home. He was not hopelessly naive, either; Woodrow Wilson had pledged to "make the world safe for democracy," and there was no reason to think that Black Americans could be excluded from that if they served gallantly.

That was the hope, anyway. The reality was that Jim Crow was even more powerful than Uncle Sam, and Black soldiers in the AEF experienced worse treatment at the hands of their white officers than at the hands of the enemy. Du Bois, emboldened after the war by documentation of this gross abuse and prejudice, set out to write an honest history of the Black experience in the war, and not just the Black American soldier's experience but that of his French colonial brethren. He ultimately found the task too daunting to complete, there were other demands on his time (such as other books, as well as extramarital relationships), and so "The Black Man and the Wounded World" remains unpublished and unfinished to this day.

But does Du Bois' lost work constitute a failure? Well, not completely; as Williams makes clear, Du Bois' inability to finish his work was not from lack of thinking long and hard about his subject matter. Nor was it a case of not putting in the work; applications for funding were turned down on reduced to smaller amounts than Du Bois could expect to live on while completing his work. And by the time he felt like his book's warnings about the possibility of another war breaking out (based on the First World War's failure to address certain issues), the Second World War had broken out. A prophet without honor (from the white world, at least), Du Bois spent the last years of his remarkably long life battling the post-war anti-Communist paranoia of McCarthy-era America and going toe-to-toe with enemies among the Civil Rights Movement who sought to move Du Bois just out of the frame of history.

This is a book about more than just an unpublished book, and while it feels a bit slow at times or weighted down by yet another side-quest on Du Bois' part, "The Wounded World" works as a biography of a man and a book that made an impact on the wider world (despite said book's disappearance from sight). W.E.B. Du Bois never published what might be his masterpiece, but he left behind a body of work inspired by that lost book, and his legacy as one of America's foremost critics of racism is assured. "The Wounded World" makes a convincing case for Du Bois' status as a man who saw the truth of America and who was punished for saying it aloud.

[Joseph Stieb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was kind of interesting idea/mixed execution for me. It was much too long for the story it told, sometimes unfocused, and often lacking in the kind of signposting/periscope moments that readers need to absorb the larger points and significance of the book. I would have liked more focus on DuBois' analysis of international politics and less on the mundane details of how he wrote his books, interacted with other intellectuals, paid for his work, etc. That stuff's important, but it could have been condensed big time. I found myself getting a little lost/bored in those details, which inflate the book well beyond the points it was making.

Ok, so the argument: Williams shows how WWI constituted a key shift for DuBois' thought and activism. He boldly argued that AA's should join the US war effort. This was their country, he contended, the Germans were truly dangerous, and fighting for the country would make it harder for white people to deny them full citizenship. He was highly criticized for this stance and later came to regret it. He travelled to France to witness the war's aftermath, and he fought for the rights and dignity of black soldiers, including a black officer who was removed on specious grounds lest he rise to a rank from which he could command white soldiers. He set out to write a book which he never finished (called the Black Man and the Wounded World) that would counter the racist lies of white officers and politicians that black soldiers were cowardly, sexually aggressive, and so on. The fact that he was tied to the fairly moderate NAACP (which depended heavily on white philanthropists' funding) constrained the growing radicalism of his critiques and his alienation. Eventually, DuBois broke with the NAACP, became highly disillusioned with the US in general, and became more of a communist sympathizer and pan-Africanist in his later years. Tbh, had I experienced his life, I can't say I wouldn't have gone down a similar path, however disappointing it is that he later became a Stalin apologist.

DuBois proffered a unique explanation of the World War, one which I find interesting but not fully convincing. He argued that the war was really about imperial rivalry for control of what we now call the GLobal South, and that all the powers of Europe were implicated in trying to dominate what they viewed as racially or culturally inferior people. Without attacking and dismantling empires, conflicts like WWI would continue to occur based on EUropean competition over the rest of the world. Democracy and decolonization were the solution, and he worked in the second half of his life to rally black people the world over to press for these ends. I think he was right about the injustice and innately destabilizing effects of empire, but the start of WWI wasn't directly linked to overseas empire but to the collapse of the Austrian and Ottoman empires in the face of ethnic nationalism. I think DuBois may have been highlighted race for rhetorical effect though. And his thought remains seminal for understanding race as part of international hierarchy down to the present day.

It is great to highlight DuBois as an important international thinker, but Robert Vitale did a better job of analyzing the significance of the Howard School of IR in the broader scheme of US-global thought in a much shorter book (White World Order, Black Power Politics). The book wasn't quite a full bio of DuBois, but it felt about that long. I would only recommend it if you are really interested in this topic or researching DuBois' global thought.

[Jonna Higgins-Freese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Du Bois called the problem of the color line the problem of the twentieth century (15)

"One ever feels his two-ness, an American, a Negr0; two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body, whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder" (15)

Du Bois's "pride and joy, The Crisis provided him with a platform to display the full arsenal of his intellectual, political, and artistic gifts" (17).

368th Infantry Regiment in the Meuse-Argonne - black troops received no preparation for maneuvers requiring careful coordination, did not have heavy wire cutters, etc. And then were blamed for rapes of French women and treated as prisoners en masse, denied hotel accommodations, etc. (134).

Verdun 2/21-12/18, 1916 - "306,000 French and German soldiers lost their lives in the most horrific ten months of warfare in modern history" (138)

Pan -African Conference - DuBois pulled together in record time, hard to find delegates, money, passports. Madame Calmann-Levy "an influential white suffragist and salon hostess, and most vitally Ida Gibbs Hunt, an educated, politically conscious, multilingual Black woman who served as undersecretary for the conference (140)

Du Bois's argument "The Black soldier saved civilization in 1914-18" -- Frances colonial troops, esp. the tirailleurs senegalais, Blaise Diagne, black stevedores, 93rd division, 92nd division. The "kindness and utter lack of prejudice among the French " provided a lifesaving counterbalance and empowering alternative to American white supremacy" ) (144)

Daniel Mack - black soldier from Shingler, Georgia, served in 365th Infantry regiment, brushed against a white man on the sidewalk, sentenced to 30 days on the chain gang, lynch mob beat him but he survived and fled.
Other veterans lynched:
Bud Johnson
Frank Livingston

Du Bois "addressed the explosive allegations from top white officers that the number of rapes committed by Black troops had reached epidemic proportions in France. Du Bois offered some historical context, explaining that 'the charge of rape against colored Americans was invetned by teh white South after Reconstruction to excuse mob violence.'" (169).

US Post Office deemed the issue of The Crisis documenting the systematic discrimination and violence against Black troops as a problem and delayed the release of the issue, though after an intense pressure campaign, it was finally released. Officials were "spooked by the twin spectres of bolshevism and radicalized Black soldiers (171).

Du Bois "frequently invoked the theme of twoness," including double consciousness and "double disillusion": "On the Negroes this double experience of deliberate and devilish persecution from their own countrymen, coupled with a taste of real democracy and world-old culture, was revolutionizing. They began to hate prejudice and discrimination as they had never hated it before" (179).

[William · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chad L Williams has concentrated his biography of DuBois on the activist/intellectual’s remarks and writings on war and black soldiers during World War I. DuBois used his column in the NAACP’s Crisis to urge black men to join the military. He believed if Black men put aside their fight for equal rights temporarily to fight as citizens for a country treating them as second-class citizens, the United States would respect their loyalty and patriotism and change segregation practices. DuBois’ efforts were instrumental in getting black men trained as officers. He championed his friend, West Point graduate and colonel, Charles Young, betrayed by the US military. The compromise that units would be segregated was expected. But DuBois did not expect the deep entrenchment of racial hatred Black soldiers, from officer to private, would report. Treatment from their comrade-in-arms they said was worse than the punishment meted out to the enemy, the stripping of rank of Black officers, court-martials of non-coms for infractions and false accusations, which portrayed returning Black soldiers as cowards and criminals. During rising mob violence, lynchings, and massacres of Black communities after the war, DuBois’ documentation of the Black soldier during the war evolved through stages of racial discrimination in the United States from presidential administrations from Wilson to Roosevelt. The cause of wars, DuBois insisted, the color line and colonialism, the lust of imperialist and capitalist nations for the wealth of colored nations.

As DuBois’s book on the Black man in World War I, out grew the subject and the League of Nations failed and gave rise to the United Nations, DuBois believed his work-in-progress to be a blueprint for world peace.

DuBois’ reputation as an author, activist and intellectual, for many, myself included, rests on his book The Soul of Black Folk and his remark about the double consciousness of Black Americans, penned decades ago. His book on Blacks and the First World War, had he ever finished, from what Chad Williams brilliantly outlines in his exciting biography, would have established DuBois as a formidable historian. Still, DuBois’ unfinished tome is one I would like to read.

Thank to Net Galley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for an advanced copy of this book.

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

A portrait of a revered Civil Rights figure during a time of domestic and international uncertainty, widespread racial violence, and the looming threat of war. The Wounded World examines Du Bois’ public and behind-the-scenes efforts and plans in the lead-up to the U.S. entering the First World War, and his struggle to tell the story of the experiences black soldiers had on the front lines.

I found this book to be a very informative and accessible look into the motivations and efforts of W.E.B Du Bois in the early 20th Century. His attempts to leverage the war, and specifically black military service, as a way to garner government protection for Black Americans in the face of widespread Jim Crow and lynching campaigns.

I thought that this text was very commercially accessible, however, I would have preferred it to have had more organization and structure. At times, it felt personally difficult to follow as Williams tended to rapidly switch to different points in the timeline in the same paragraph, or to the actions of another historical figure that was in the periphery of Du Bois’ efforts. I prefer historical non-fiction which from the beginning, clues the reader into the structure of the text and how the subject matter will be looked at.

Clearly, there was a ton of research and time that went into writing this book. Williams pulls from not only Du Bois but many other figures who were operating in the same timeline as, or in tandem with him. However, without a sense of overarching analysis of this information and the recurring themes, the text ended up being a long firehose of historical facts and anecdotes. To me, Williams spent way too much time down in the historic weeds so to speak, and as a result, the text felt unfocused and in the end unhoned.

[Scott Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

(Audiobook) Perhaps this could have easily been retitled "The Greatest Book on World War I Never Written/Published". This work follows the life of W.E.B Du Bois and his failed efforts to bring to publication a book that would have provided an in-depth analysis of the African-American soldier and his experiences in World War I. Given that we just passed the centennial of the War's anniversary, much was made of Du Bois' writings, particularly his works that asked for the Black Americans to fight in the war to prove themselves as worthy of full citizenship and that the Germans/Austro-Hungarians/Ottomans were a major threat to the world at large. However, this work looks at Du Bois' efforts to try to put together the definitive tome about the war, only for it never to happen.

The reasons are various. From the various personal commitments of Du Bois to his struggles against various power-brokers, black and white, he just never got around to completing this work. It is seen as a major disappointment from the author's perspective, especially as it could and should have been a major work of consideration. Yet, while discussing the book never published, this actual, published work, offers insight into the life and thoughts of the man who was not only one of the most prominent African-American writers, but just one of the most prominent thinkers and men of words in US history during the first part of the 20th century.

Worth the read for any student of history and wanting to learn more about W.E.B. Du Bois. I certainly learned a great deal. If nothing else, this book proves that Du Bois was only human, but certainly had some incredible qualities. The rating is the same regardless of format.

[Chris Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Williams has created a powerful book, a dual biography of W.E.B. du Bois (from 30) and his idea for his opus, The Black Man and the Wounded World. Du Bois is one of the giants of the Black civil rights effort, a virtual fountain of scholarly, thoughtful, meaningful writing. In his work as editor of The Crisis, the house organ of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he had ample opportunity to analyze and comment on the issues of Black Americans. Sent to Europe to cover the peace conferences and found black soldiers and officers who the white supremacist War Department had degraded, slandered, and wrongfully accused of crimes and shortcomings. These findings were the genesis of what he saw as his great work. Mr. Williams details the development of the book and the issues surrounding it with the bark on. Du Bois's desire for artifacts, photos, and documentation from black veterans, his efforts to finance the project, his relationship with colleagues and publishers, and the rapid racing of the clock are all carefully covered.
It is a worthy read and shows the pain of issues still reflected in our society.

[Socraticgadfly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ostensibly, this book is about Du Bois' support for American involvement in WWI, and more specifically, Black involvement in American involvement, followed by his subsequent disillusionment, and with him planning, working on, but never publishing, an overarching book about that, "The Black Man and the Wounded World."

Just one problem.

There's nowhere near enough material there for a book-length treatment. At least not with what Williams presents.

So, this expands to become a quasi-biography, or mini-biography, of Du Bois in general from WWI to the end of his life.

Just one problem.

There's no special angle, treatment, or insights.

If you know nothing about Black America's struggles with segregation in the wartime as well as peacetime Wilson Administration, or you know nothing beyond the barest of bones about Du Bois, this book is decent. If you're looking for more than that, move along.

If we had half-stars, I'd give this a 2.5, maybe. But no more.

[Dave Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War
by Chad L. Williams

Good news. I commend Chad L. Williams and his diligent work with a grossly over looked of American history about both WW1, post WW1 and the impact it had on American society especial with African American role in the conflict. This could be a highly important document for further scholastic research. Therefor Chad L. Williams should receive much deserved accolades for his due diligence.

The bad news. Chad L. Williams' book The Wounded World: W. E. B. Du Bois and the First World War could be considered dull and at times repudiative.

Read if you are truly invested in further scholastic research.
Skip if you are looking for a causal read on the subject of the African American experience.

[Micebyliz]

I wanted to learn more about DuBois since he is quoted so often and referred to in many books.
It's a book that obviously was well researched and carefully done. It's the kind of work i really appreciate, especially when it's a biography (of sorts) of a person who is so revered. It's too bad that DuBois did not see fit to be more collegial with women of the time who would have contributed greatly to his scholarship. Perhaps there weren't any he reached out to? The account is very male-centered. One gets tired of reading man man man. Certainly women had voices during that time and the war did not leave them untouched. (besides the Gold Stars) If circumstances are to change we all need to work together.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so good! In depth look at Du Bois evolution of ideas over time and how the Great War impacted them. Plenty of back story about the ins and outs of his relations with other intellectuals. Much less on personal life, but that is my preference. Importantly brings out the role of funding, placement, and precarity in the life of an academic and in the production and preservation of knowledge. I'll be tossing this around in my head for a long while. When will we get The Wounded World? This needs to hit the public in some form, nevermind the treasure trove of accompanying primary documents. Please edit and publish this someone!!

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t know much about Du Bois so after seeing a review of the book I went out and bought it. And I’m glad I did. Not only did the author teach me much about DuBois and his efforts to write the definitive history of Blacks in WWI but the author also filled in some missing pieces in my understanding and perspective of many historically important events and places during his life.

In sum ways, Du Bois might be thought of as the Black Zelig (Woody Allen movie character) since as a newspaper editor he seemed to show up in every important 20th century Black history event . To be expected, the book also goes into a lot of detail with many names about some of the early Black leaders and the competition among them for the leadership role.

Perhaps one of the book’s negatives was the extensive and repetitive story of Du Boise’s efforts at gathering and assembling as much original documents and images of Black’s WWI experience. If it seemed to be never ending to us as observers, it’s easy to imagine how frustrating and disappointing it must have been to Du Boise, his contributors and sponsors. In short, this is an important book and should be read and studied.

[Osas Osazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

First and foremost, thank you Dr. Chad L William for such an amazing book. I have previously read The Souls of Black Folk by WEB Du Bios but The Wounded World made me know the person of WEB Du Bios even more.

I finished reading the masterpiece piece tonight and had to pour me a glass of Barefoot Moscato, yea I know, do not judge me because I like my wine with a lot of Ice! I drink it fast!!!

I do not want to give away anything about the book because I am attending a virtual book discussion with Dr. Chad William at the end of this month. But if you haven’t got yourself a copy yet, I seriously admonish you to get a copy because this is a fabolous piece of artistry in words.

[Herb · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of W.E.B. DuBois and his life-long fight for full citizenship for all Black folk. The book centers around his and Black Americans' experience around and during WWI. His advocacy for Blacks to support the war, despite their disenfranchisement as citizens and soldiers, resulted in DuBois' reputation to suffer. The disgusting and abhorrent discrimination and violence faced by Blacks during and after the war is highlighted and analyzed. A compelling read, but like (almost) all biographies, unnecessarily long.

[Sam McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very thorough and compelling history that traces W. E. B. Du Bois’ intellectual transformation across the 20th century, framed through the lens of his failed history of Black soldiers in World War I. It is subtly tragic in its depiction of the subject’s gradual alienation from the country to which he contributed so mightily, climaxing with Du Bois’ indictment by the federal government during the second Red Scare. Williams does an excellent job of humanizing Du Bois, rendering not only his courage and fierce intellect but also his ego and petty rivalries.

[Boston64329 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great biography of W. E. B. DuBois. While the title leads one to believe this book is about a book about African Americans and their service in World War I, it is actually much more about DuBois during the time leading up to and post World War I to his death in Ghana in August 1963. The never published book was his focus through all those years but could never generate the funds to complete the book. As the years passed he continued to rethink and rewrite chapters.
Another missing piece of U.S. history.

[John Kissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a terrific book! Beautifully written, deeply researched, profoundly insightful. This fascinating story about a history book that was researched but never published — and never quite completed — deepens our understanding of Du Bois’ role as a public intellectual, his difficult relationships, and his brilliance. “The Wounded War” puts the horrific history of African Americans in stark relief in the sweep of world history.

[KM]

Referenced for grad school assignment, will not leave rating. Major takeaway- I feel for this guy that he never managed to finish this one book, but as the author points out he had opportunity, he just let himself get mentally bogged down with it to the point that he let down the people whose stories he promised to tell. To modern writers: if there is a project or goal that really means something to you, do whatever you can to get out of your own way and get it done.

[Ben Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well written and accessible account of how DuBois wrestled with the First World War and the disappointments that arose out of it. The story of his incomplete narrative proved a strong thread to tie together that journey. There is a great deal in this book for us to learn from in the present time.

[Matthew Picchietti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good, very thorough. This is not a fast read, nor a casual one. Be ready to dig in and take it slow. It's very much worth the effort.

I never thought a 550 page book about a 1200 page book that was never written could be so powerful. There's much more to it than that, but Williams is really an impressive researcher and his writing style is engaging and educational.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. An era and events that weren't discussed in the history I learned in school. Williams covers Du Bois' life and works of the WWI era, as well as the aftermath, with clarity and compassion.

[Blane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very long and dry look at the troubled creation of Du Bois's unpublished manuscript, 'The Black Man And The Wounded World'. Probably better suited for students/researchers; general readers would be better served to read this great thinker's actual published works.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dr. DuBois’ greatest virtue was his committed empathy with all the oppressed and his divine dissatisfaction with all forms of injustice. Today, we are still challenged to be dissatisfied." - MLK

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.