The First World War: A Complete History / Martin Gilbert

RATINGS

Overall: 4/ 5 stars

Text Level: Medium

Entertainment: Medium

Self-Help: Low

Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War I, American History, World History

Page Count: 688

Is this book right for my inmate and me?

Purely historical reading.

Buy on: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Target

Review By: Galactic Geek (Inmate)

One of the first books that anyone should read in beginning to try and understand this war and this century.

In depth and extremely footnoted, this mega-historic 600-page plus book about WWI would be a multiple read book. There are thousands of accounts of the conflict but this one deserves among first attention. The book covers all events and all participants of the war that was supposed to be called “The Great WAr” and the only world war. The book includes maps and photographs along the way so that you get a better understanding of its content. I found this book to be helpful to the general reader that wants a huge crash course in the first world war. The author also includes world-known leaders of the second world war during their involvement in this conflict. Nine million soldiers died in World War I along with five million more civilians. To not know what occurred at this point in history would be a travesty to any history buff. These men and women are buried in memory sometimes miles from their homes. Many unknown graves. The horror of trench warfare is covered in-depth where thousands gave their lives never to recover or advance a foot of ground for their efforts. A war of ideologies - and as all wars are - sad. The book also covers the Russian Revolution and the rise of communism. It’s disheartening to think that all this tragedy started because of the assassination of Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo.