Reviews
"Freedman contrasts the battle details of No Man's Land, trench warfare, machine guns, poison gas, tanks, and emerging aircraft technology with the military leaders' distance from the mass of soldiers and everyday people, and he shows the connections between this war and the causes of future conflict, including World War II and discord in the Middle East. An important addition to history curriculum.--Booklist, starred review "In synthesizing larger scholarly works, the author's excellent narrative skillfully encompasses all facets of the conflict including battles, leaders, and the new technologies that made it so destructive...Elegantly written and filled with vivid, powerful photographs, this masterful work demands a spot in every collection."--School Library Journal, starred review, "In his signature lucid style, Freedman offers a photo-essay that examines World War I. . .An important addition to history curriculum."--Booklist, starred review "Elegantly written and filled with vivid, powerful photographs, this masterful work demands a spot in every collection."--School Library Journal, starred review "Freedman once again demonstrates his incomparable mastery of presenting complex, sweeping historical subjects in an engaging, dynamic narrative."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review"[Freedman's] dramatic, often heart-wrenching narrative ends with a brief description of the rise of Hitler, leading to the reopening of hostilities in 1939. Although his focus is the war in Europe, and the book is unusually evenhanded in assessing the faults and virtues of the combatant countries, Freedman touches on fighting elsewhere in the world."--Horn Book, starred review "It was the war that world leaders didn't want to fight, and the war that didn't quite end, and here Freedman narrates its story with a steady eye on the wasteful atrocity that ushered in modern warfare. . . . Freedman's timely organization of chronological events and topical issues is masterful, and the allegretto pacing of his narration seems deceptively effortless."--The Bulletin, starred review, "In his signature lucid style, Freedman offers a photo-essay that examines World War I. . .An important addition to history curriculum."-- Booklist, starred review "Elegantly written and filled with vivid, powerful photographs, this masterful work demands a spot in every collection."-- School Library Journal, starred review "Freedman once again demonstrates his incomparable mastery of presenting complex, sweeping historical subjects in an engaging, dynamic narrative."-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "[Freedman's] dramatic, often heart-wrenching narrative ends with a brief description of the rise of Hitler, leading to the reopening of hostilities in 1939. Although his focus is the war in Europe, and the book is unusually evenhanded in assessing the faults and virtues of the combatant countries, Freedman touches on fighting elsewhere in the world."-- Horn Book, starred review "It was the war that world leaders didn't want to fight, and the war that didn't quite end, and here Freedman narrates its story with a steady eye on the wasteful atrocity that ushered in modern warfare. . . . Freedman's timely organization of chronological events and topical issues is masterful, and the allegretto pacing of his narration seems deceptively effortless."-- The Bulletin, starred review "This gritty, well-sourced account of WWI offers a compelling and often horrific look at the conflict. Freedman (Washington at Valley Forge) hooks readers with his fluid style and a detail-rich story of Archduke Ferdinand's assassination and the political powder keg that existed at the time in Europe...Readers' conclusions will likely mirror that of a French soldier writing in his diary just before he was killed: "Humanity is mad!... What scenes of horror and carnage!"-- Publishers Weekly, starred review , "In his signature lucid style, Freedman offers a photo-essay that examines World War I. . .An important addition to history curriculum."-- Booklist, starred review "Elegantly written and filled with vivid, powerful photographs, this masterful work demands a spot in every collection."-- School Library Journal,starred review "Freedman once again demonstrates his incomparable mastery of presenting complex, sweeping historical subjects in an engaging, dynamic narrative."-- Kirkus Reviews, starred review "[Freedman's] dramatic, often heart-wrenching narrative ends with a brief description of the rise of Hitler, leading to the reopening of hostilities in 1939. Although his focus is the war in Europe, and the book is unusually evenhanded in assessing the faults and virtues of the combatant countries, Freedman touches on fighting elsewhere in the world."-- Horn Book, starred review "It was the war that world leaders didn't want to fight, and the war that didn't quite end, and here Freedman narrates its story with a steady eye on the wasteful atrocity that ushered in modern warfare. . . . Freedman's timely organization of chronological events and topical issues is masterful, and the allegretto pacing of his narration seems deceptively effortless."-- The Bulletin, starred review "This gritty, well-sourced account of WWI offers a compelling and often horrific look at the conflict. Freedman (Washington at Valley Forge) hooks readers with his fluid style and a detail-rich story of Archduke Ferdinand's assassination and the political powder keg that existed at the time in Europe...Readers' conclusions will likely mirror that of a French soldier writing in his diary just before he was killed: "Humanity is mad!... What scenes of horror and carnage!"-- Publishers Weekly, starred review
