G. J. Meyer

Super-enthused about this book, a companion to A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918, but focusing on America during the WWI years, along with the actions and legacy of Woodrow Wilson. I love Meyer's writing style, where he documents history, but then also provides analysis of that history. And he's not afraid to call a spade a spade, although his criticisms of Wilson get more pointed and sharp the further one gets into the book. A Wilson fan would probably see this book as unfair.

As for the overall story, I had never really spent much time learning about WWI in America, perhaps to my detriment. Like the story of the lead-up to the war, it's a world much different from what we are used to today. This book is a great introduction to the topic, giving us context for the events that Meyer is describing. Many parallels to today's America, and not in a good way, either.

Kudos to Meyer for 2 fine histories!… (more)

Maybe 4.5 stars, not quite 5. This is an excellent single-volume history of World War I. Adequate maps, and Meyer does a fine job of making a complicated subject simple and readable. I liked the take-outs of different personalities, events, aspects of the war, although reading one between every single chapter describing the chronological events of the war was somewhat distracting. It took me a long time to finish this book and I'm not sure why...I certainly enjoyed it and would recommend it. Meyer's writing is similar to James L. Stokesbury, that is to say, somewhat snarky, which may be off-putting to some readers, but I appreciate the fact that he tells us like it is without sugar-coating. This is a great starting point for beginners as well as an interesting volume and list of sources for seasoned WWI historians.… (more)

While not unflawed, this much loved book is beautifully written. It conveys a sense of the movement of armies, and, for want of a better word, the 'flow' of the Great War. The first section, covering how the war came about, is simplistic and I think mostly wrong. My view on this likely is shaped by recently having read Christopher Clark's state-of-the-art masterpiece on the subject, The Sleepwalkers.

Once the first shots are fired, A World Undone begins to shine. This should be the book of choice for a general reader who seeks literacy on the First World War. This sidebar essays on key figures and trends of the war year are, at their best, masterful.

This is not an academic history and it mostly does not treat off-battlefield factors. David Stevenson's Cataclysm: The First World War as Political Tragedy is a book of choice for readers who also wish to understand wartime organization of domestic economies and other 'under the hood' factors that helped determine the war's final outcome.

G.J. Meyer is a very fine writer. He has given us a model narrative history on a subject of transcendent interest.

… (more)