The Yanks are Coming: The United States in the First World War

by Albert Marrin

Marrin relates the gripping story of how the Yanks "came over" to aid the European Allies and turn the tide in the first Great War. How the United States mobilized industry, trained doughboy soldiers, and promoted the war at home makes for fascinating reading in one of the few books on this topic for young adults.

The human cost of the war is poignantly related in tales of the action at Chateau Thierry and Belleau Woods, in the air with the daring men of the Army Air Corps, and with the Lost Battalion at the Battle of Meuse-Argonne. From the sinking of the Lusitania to Armistice Day, Marrin tells the heartrending and inspiring story of the "war to end all wars." Illustrated with maps and photographs.

Genres: History, School, Nonfiction, American History, World War I, Historical, Read For School

248 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Albert Marrin is a historian and the author of more than twenty nonfiction books for young people. He has won various awards for his writing, including the 2005 James Madison Book Award and the 2008 National Endowment for Humanities Medal. In 2011, his book Flesh and Blood So Cheap was a National Book Award Finalist. Marrin is the Chairman of the History Department at New York's Yeshiva University.

Reviews

[Dawn Roberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent history of the US's involvement in WWI. Very thorough treatment (at a middle school reading level) of domestic sabotage, transport, naval war, and battle fronts. My only beef was one interesting comment about "propaganda" being a tool of governments, as opposed to "teachers" and "journalists" who only pursue "truth." Well, that will be a great discussion-starter when I read it aloud with my kids.

[Noel Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic account of WWI. Marrin's narration is interesting rather than dry. Even my 20 year old sat in for the read-aloud because it was so well-done. Loved it!

[Amy de Raaf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading anything pertaining to the history of WW1 and WW2, this book was written which such an exciting flair it completely captured my interest. It was a thrilling non-fiction account of the Americans involvement in WW1 right up until the Armistice in 1918. Details about Lusitania, the Red Baron and a brave messenger pigeon named Cher Ami.

[Dexter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been overly interested in the First World War, but I suppose that's only because I don't know much about it. Everyone kind of glosses over that war, and makes a big deal about the second one (not that that one's not important...)

Albert Marrin did a very good job getting me interested in this war. I found a lot of it fascinating, and the individual stories of the different war heroes were great. My list of favorite historical figures has grown exponentially.

Plus, the ending was great.

[Mike Hanford · Rating 2 out of 5]

An amateur history. Useful for those who know nothing of the Great War ... but not much more than brief, glossy, highlights. No maps!! Nothing at all about recruitment and training. Very few first-hand accounts and nothing from enlisted men.

[Akaitsoti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok.

[Araceli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Despite the fact that I had to read it for school, I actually quite enjoyed this book. Although, at times I got lost of what was happening. If you like history this book is for you.

[Little House · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my kids for history. Not at all our favorite, but some interesting information included.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much did not expect to enjoy this book, but I honestly loved it. It is written well in a way that is easy to read and very informative, but also interesting and affecting. It actually made me tear up at a few points, which is not something I expected from a purely informational nonfiction book. Highly recommend.

[Phyllis Billingsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book about the United States in the First World War. My grandfather fought in the First World War at the Muese-Argonne offensive so this book really had stories that were interesting to me. The book is very well written and very informative.

[Rachael Stoldt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good history of American involvement in WW1. It was surprisingly engaging history book. We all loved it. Only down side was the length of the chapters. They were so long and I struggled reading aloud for 50 pages at once. I had to break it apart.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

For our homeschool: A very informative book about WWI. While a bit dry we learned a ton about a war that often gets glossed over to get to WWII. This had some really interesting sections about pilots, a few pivotal battles and some heroes of the war. It was at times a bit dry though.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrative-style history of the US in WWI. Very engaging, personal, readable. Personalities of leaders captured in writing, a few original entries from diaries of soldiers, and related tangents of highlights made this book compulsively readable.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and easy-to-read account of the involvement of the United States in World War I.

[Hilary Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great history of WWI. We did this as a family read aloud.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent read from a historical perspective, but offers a lot of detail that was hard to handle. Something to consider if your kids or you are sensitive to that kind of thing.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much detail. Liked the history but gave it up !

[Mckinley Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

The descriptions were spot-on and accurately portrayed World War 1. It definitely went over my head though in a few parts!!

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Avery ♥︎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It was good and interesting, it just got a bit tedious and the chapters were very long.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this book for school - it gives perspective on and uses vivid imagery to express the atrocities of war.

[Collin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Albert Marrin. He has a great style that presents all the facts in a conversational, easy tone, without talking down. I've learned a lot of history through him already.

'The Yanks Are Coming' isn't any different. It's an engaging look at both the personal life of the Doughboy and the decisions of the uppity-ups that orchestrated WWI. As I've come to expect from Marrin, both sides of the war were treated with dignity and respect, each having its own share of good and bad (though the 'bad guys' were never in question).

WWI has never been a great favorite topic of mine, but this book actually made it interesting.

[AnnaScott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good book in the academic sense. It was very informational and gave a good picture of the First World War. At the same time, the battles dragged and it had more details than I personally wanted, but it gave a good perspective on America's involvement in WWI. My favorite section was the part on the airplane pilots - it definitely took a lot of nerve to be a pilot, but they did a lot of good.

[Elizabeth Anne Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4/5 stars

Content: violence, some cursing in quotations

Age Reccomendation: eleven years old

Summary: The Yanks are Coming is a nonfiction book about America’s impact and involvement in the first world war.

Review: The Yanks Are Coming, is likely one of my favorite nonfictions about WWI. Its photos and stories of real soldiers made me want to keep reading.

Read the rest of my March 2020 reviews at http://www.storiesandsketches.com/202...

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be a good way to learn about WWI. Discussed are many different key people involved in the war including, ace Eddie Rickenbacker, presidents Roosevelt and Wilson,etc. Albert Marrin presents it in an enjoyable, readable way.

[Abigail Rasmussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mom read this book aloud to my sister (14), brother (12) and I (17) when we were were studying Modern History. It has some descriptions of the sadness and horror of war that a different brother of mine was still too sensitive to read or listen to when he was 13 years old.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book which really helped me learn a lot more about WWI. My grandpa read this book while they were visiting us and said he would be recommending it to all of his veteran friends.
I also love the foreshadowing at the end of the book. WWII is coming up.

[Quincy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great history book! It kept my attention the whole time. This was a very interesting book about how the first world war played out. If I ever need to do a project on the First World War, I will definitely use this book.

[Aidan · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Yanks are Coming is a great history of the United States in the first world war. Beginning with the Lusitania and finishing with the Allied victory, this book lets you in to America and her troops in world war one.

[Katie]

It was ok