The War to End All Wars: World War I

Freedman, Russell. The War to End All Wars: World War I
Clarion see Houghton Mifflin 2010 176p 22.00
978-0-547-02686-2 ms/hs E-BN
Through photos and first person narratives, combined with well-researched documentary, this more-than-a -photo-essay explores the causes, duration and aftermath of World War I.
Freedman never fails to exceed our expectations. Once again he has created a fascinating account of the “War to end all wars,” with his signature style of photos, historical documentary and first-had accounts. He makes the war real and accessible to browsers and history buffs alike. His use of maps, photos, white space, and easy to read narrative, interspersed with snippets of personal accounts, all combine to make an engrossing documentary of an era and a war that set the state for all modern wars to follow.

An interesting aside is that, with little fanfare, and almost no attribution, Freedman has included a family photo of Private Louis Freedman (grandfather, perhaps) on page 133.
This makes the account even more “real” to readers who pick up this volume.

Thoroughly researched, well designed and engrossingly readable, this volume will only enhance Freedman’s reputation for making history accessible and fascinating to younger readers.
Highly recommended for middle and high school collections. If you can buy only one book on World War I, buy this one. It was invaluable to my students doing WWI research. Naismith(3), Pat
World War, 1914-1918