Come On In, America: The United States in World War I

by Linda Barrett Osborne

On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on Germany and joined World War I. German submarine attacks on American ships in March 1917 were the overt motive for declaring war, but the underlying reasons were far more complex. Even after the United States officially joined, Americans were divided on whether they should be a part of it. Americans were told they were fighting a war for democracy, but with racial segregation rampant in the United States, new laws against dissent and espionage being passed, and bankers and industrial leaders gaining increased influence and power, what did democracy mean? Come On In, America explores not only how and why the United
States joined World War I, but also the events—at home and overseas—that changed the course of American history.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, World War I, Politics, Juvenile, Historical

176 pages, Hardcover

First published March 14, 2017

About the author

Linda Barrett Osborne is the author of several books for children on African American history, including Abrams’ Traveling the Freedom Road. She is a senior writer and editor in the Library of Congress’s Publishing Office. She lives in Washington, DC.

Reviews

[Carson Frazier]

Good book if you want to know all of the events leading up to our decision to join the First World War.

[Inkling Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the full review at An Inkling Reviews

This book was great! Where was it in 2014 when all of my students were writing about WW1 because of the centenary? It's absolutely perfect for a school library, and a good pick for budding history buffs.

What I liked

Covers different aspects of the war: Barrett Osborne provides information regarding the front lines, the home front, the roles of women and African Americans, weapons used, whether or not the US was actually neutral, and much more. Information on propaganda was mixed throughout the book. I really like that it covers violations of civil rights and the impact of the Espionage and Sedition Acts.

Good attempt at showing the viewpoints of the different sides involved: By presenting the point of view of other countries, Barrett Osborne gives a balanced and well rounded history lesson for middle school readers. 

African Americans and Women: While there is only one chapter for each of the these topics, they are not ignored through the rest of the book. It's always been difficult to find quality age appropriate material on African Americans and women's life/rights/roles during this time period.

Pictures & propaganda posters: While I wish that there were more propaganda posters included, this book does use some great images that help readers connect with the time period.

Rating: 5

This isn't a book that most families or kids will pick up for leisure reading, but it is an excellent book for libraries or teachers to pick up to support their curriculum. Middle Schoolers interested in military history, or this topic in general, will find this a great selection. I also recommend that any homeschooling family covering WW1get this book up from their local library. This is a great resource and tries to give a well rounded view of events and points of view in under 200 pages.

[Carol Albert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here is a crash course in World War I, including what public opinion was at the time in this country, how President Wilson and public sentiment influenced events, and how American culture at that time differed from today. There were a lot of German immigrants in that day, and that is who went fought. There was some prejudice against German immigrants and their families; some were spied on and some were interred. The same proved true of Russian and Italian immigrants. That made me wonder about my own family's history that has perhaps been buried. I had great-grandparents who were German immigrants at this time. The book spends a chapter looking at African-American contributions and how the racism of that day followed them across the ocean. Most were not allowed to fight, but two companies that did were given awards of valor by the French, who did not have such racist views. Another chapter is spent on women's contributions. Women didn't yet have the right to vote, but some didn't pause due to the war. As in WWII, women took the place of men in factories and were kicked out when the men returned. If you don't know much about WWI, this will give you a quick education. I didn't realize how much it influenced America, even up to this day. Includes some photos, a timeline, and all that other stuff of well-researched nonfiction.

[Violet Clouds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I read this book as an advance copy from Netgalley. My thanks go to them, ABRAMS Kids and to the author, Linda Barrett Osborne, for this opportunity. The opinions stated in the review are my own.

This is a very interesting look at the events surrounding the United States involvement with World War I. I studied some US history several years ago, both at school and at University, and was fascinated by how the different US political approach to conflict contrasted to that of the European history that I also studied. This book focuses on the build up to and the fighting of World War I from a US perspective and gives an interesting and detailed account of this time in American history. The information is presented with clarity and insight that make it a illuminating read. The text is augmented by photographs which portray both military and civilian life as well as propaganda posters. The text never veers into stuffy fact recounting but gives a human look at the political decisions, the character of the decision makers involved, the prevailing attitudes and concerns to American citizens and the experience of fighting the markedly different form of warfare to any that preceded it.
I enjoyed the details that were included such as the victory garden grown in the White House, complete with sheep to trim the lawn. They certainly would wreak havoc with the security sensors of the modern day White House!
This book has a wide scope but it doesn't feel messy in any way, it balances the importance of the war, the impact it had in both human and social terms and is an excellent text. From reading this there are now areas I wish to learn about in greater details. As a text aimed at young people studying this period in history for the first time I think this would be very suitable.

[Murray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new children's non-fiction book on America's involvement in World War I. It is fitting since the U.S. sent troops a hundred years ago and three years after the war began. The book gives a cursory look at some of the major battles American troop fought. The best chapters were on the home front, African American involvement in the war, and the war's aftermath. The book does not shy away from the ugly parts of the war. This book is aimed at 'Tweens (10-14 years of age). A quick engaging read.

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone interested in WW I should find this book interesting. Taken from several different views, it gives lots of insight into why government is the way it is today. While a few middle school history buffs may enjoy it, I'm thinking more high school and even adult. WWI really isn't covered much in school these days...

[Roni Carpenter · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted a book to recommend to students about WWI. This isn't it. It is disorganized and defines words it doesn't think children will know in a clunky way (see Lemony Snicket for examples making fun of what I'm talking about.)

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative, quick read that introduces readers to key points of WWI. I learned some new info about what was happening on the domestic front!

[Nathaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked it.

[Roberta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good YA intro to WWI

[Laura Hoyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to World War I for kids.

[Lyla.M]

it was ok

[Liam O'Neal]

It was good if you want to read about the wars this is good.

[Trenton Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like the book a lot everyone should read about is

[Cortney Mere · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book put World War I in perspective and highlighted, to me at least, exaggerations and inaccuracies I picked up from school about this war. It did a good job explaining new vocabulary for students not familiar with the terms so even if a student didn't have much background knowledge of World War I, they would still find this book accessible.

[Annika Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this is technically labelled as a children's book, it's still a nice concise introduction to WWI if, like me, you never got past 1900 in most of your history classes because American schools are a joke.

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoughtful, thought-provoking introduction to World War I, the war touted to be the War to End All Wars, Not just for middle grade readers--good for anyone who wants to better understand the era and how America came into the fight.

[Benjamin Bookman · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I thoroughly admired the intention, the level of detail, and the educational value of this book, at the same time it seemed to be both a little too short and a little too dense. Writing about history for a young audience is tough - I understand that - and from a historical perspective, it really did seem to tell the story of the time period from many angles and perspectives without sugarcoating or hiding challenging truths. It wasn't ALL history or ALL about soldiers, and the inclusion of gender, race, age, and political variation was very welcome!

However, trying to condense so many perspectives, years, ideas, threads, etc into a shorter and younger version also meant that it could be slightly confusing. A little bit too much detail to really read quickly, but not quite enough to follow the whole history as a stand-alone book, particularly since there is a lot of chronology used, but not necessarily in order.

I did love the extensive use of images, including very thorough and relevant captions. These were my favorite part of the book and probably increased my rating all by themselves.