WWI

On April 6, 1917, the U.S. entered World War I after the loss of several of our merchant ships to attacks from German submarines. Known as the "Great War" not just due to the massive scale of the war had but also, because "The Allies believed they were fighting against an evil militarism that had taken hold in Germany." (History Extra explains… Why is WW1 called the Great War?). The War went from 1914-1918. It began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. The war ended when Germany signed an armistice agreement with the allies on November 11, 1918, now known as Armistice Day. Casualties of the war number around 40 million with 21 million wounded, 9 million military deaths, and close to 10 million civilian deaths. (World War I HISTORY.COM EDITORS)

Non-Fiction

Faces of World War I by Arthur, Max

This magnificent commemorative volume traces the tragedy of the Great War in words and pictures. Best-selling author Max Arthur brilliantly conveys not only the heroism but also the universal horror, futility, absurdity, and boredom of early 20th-century warfare. From the frontline troops and the daily dance with death to the support lines, communications, enlistment, training, and propaganda, the story of the war is illustrated with over 200 images that have been handpicked from the world-famous collection of the Imperial War Museum in London. Every aspect of the soldier's life is covered in this brilliant collection of images and eyewitness accounts that bring the Great War to life once more.

Eleventh month, eleventh day, eleventh hour : Armistice Day, 1918, World War I and its violent climax by Persico, Joseph E.

November 11, 1918. The final hours pulsate with tension as every man in the trenches hopes to escape the melancholy distinction of being the last to die in World War I. The Allied generals knew the fighting would end precisely at 11:00 A.M, yet in the final hours, they flung men against an already beaten Germany. The result? Eleven thousand casualties suffered–more than during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Why? Allied commanders wanted to punish the enemy to the very last moment and career officers saw a fast-fading chance for glory and promotion. Joseph E. Persico puts the reader in the trenches with the forgotten and the famous–among the latter, Corporal Adolf Hitler, Captain Harry Truman, and Colonels Douglas MacArthur and George Patton. Mainly, he follows ordinary soldiers’ lives, illuminating their fate as the end approaches. Persico sets the last day of the war in historic context with a gripping reprise of all that led up to it, from the 1914 assassination of the Austrian archduke, Franz Ferdinand, which ignited the war, to the raw racism black doughboys endured except when ordered to advance and die in the war’s last hour. Persico recounts the war’s bloody climax in a cinematic style that evokes All Quiet on the Western Front, Grand Illusion, and Paths of Glory. The pointless fighting on the last day of the war is the perfect metaphor for the four years that preceded it, years of senseless slaughter for hollow purposes. This book is sure to become the definitive history of the end of a conflict Winston Churchill called “the hardest, cruelest, and least-rewarded of all the wars that have been fought.”

The First World War by Keegan, John

The definitive account of the Great War and national bestseller from one of our most eminent military historians, John Keegan.

Einstein's war: the birth of relativity amid the vicious nationalism of World War I by Stanley, Matthew

"The birth of a world-changing idea, relativity, and how it was shaped by the social upheaval and bloody horror of the First World War"-- Provided by publisher.

America and the Great War: a Library of Congress illustrated history by Wagner, Margaret E.

Chronicles the United States' role in World War I, presenting events and arguments, political and military battles, and epic achievements that marked the nation's involvement.

All blood runs red: the legendary life of Eugene Bullard-- boxer, pilot, soldier, spy by Keith, Phil

The incredible story of the first African American military pilot, who went on to become a Paris nightclub impresario, a spy in the French Resistance, and an American civil rights pioneer....All Blood Runs Red is the inspiring untold story of an American hero, a thought-provoking chronicle of the twentieth century, and a portrait of a man who came from nothing and by his own courage, determination, gumption, intelligence, and luck forged a legendary life.

The escape artists: a band of daredevil pilots and the greatest prison break of the great war by Bascomb, Neal

Drawing on never-before-seen memoirs and letters, Neal Bascomb brings this narrative to cinematic life, amid the twilight of the British Empire and the darkest, most savage hours of the fight against Germany. At turns tragic, funny, inspirational, and nail-biting suspenseful, this is the little-known story of the biggest POW breakout of the Great War.

To end all wars: a story of loyalty and rebellion, 1914-1918 by Hochschild, Adam

World War I stands as one of history's most senseless spasms of carnage, defying rational explanation. In his riveting narrative, Hochschild brings it to life as never before while focusing on the long-ignored moral drama of the war's critics, alongside its generals and heroes.

The grand escape: the greatest prison breakout of the 20th century by Bascomb, Neal

"The story of a group of Allied POWs in WWI who dared to escape from Germany's most notorious prison camp, Holzminden"--Provided by publisher.

Grace Banker and her Hello Girls answer the call : the heroic story of WWI telephone operators by Friddell, Claudia

"Led by twenty-five-year-old Grace Banker, thirty-two telephone operators -- affectionately called Hello Girls back in the US -- became the first female combatants in World War I. Follow Grace Banker's journey from her busy life as a telephone switchboard trainer in New York to her pioneering role as the Chief Operator of the 1st Unit of World War I telephone operators in the battlefields of France. With expert skill, steady nerves, and steadfast loyalty, the Signal Corps operators transferred orders from commanders to battlefields and communicated top-secret messages between American and French headquarters. After faithfully serving her country--undaunted by freezing weather and fires; long hours and little sleep, and nearby shellings and far off explosions--Grace was the first and only woman operator in the Signal Corps to be awarded the Army's Distinguished Service Medal."--Provided by publisher.

Fiction

All quiet on the western front by Remarque, Erich Maria

Considered by many the greatest war novel of all time, All Quiet on the Western Front is Erich Maria Remarque's masterpiece of the German experience during World War I.

A farewell to arms: the Hemingway Library edition by Hemingway, Ernest

The definitive edition of the classic novel of love during wartime, featuring all of the alternate endings: "Fascinating...serves as an artifact of a bygone craft, with handwritten notes and long passages crossed out, giving readers a sense of an author's process" (The New York Times).

Band of sisters: a novel by Willig, Lauren

A group of young women from Smith College risk their lives in France at the height of World War I in this sweeping novel based on a true story--a skillful blend of Call the Midwife and The Alice Network--from New York Times bestselling author Lauren Willig.

Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Rooney, Kathleen

Inspired by true events, a novel that centers on the Meuse-Argonne Offensive of World War I, told in the voices of Cher Ami, a messenger bird, and Charles Whittlesey, an army officer.

The poppy wife: a novel of the Great War by Scott, Caroline

"A sweeping tale of forbidden love, true loss, and the startling truth of the broken families left behind in the wake of World War I, The poppy wife is an unforgettable debut novel for fans of Jennifer Robson and Hazel Gaynor"-- Provided by publisher.