The World Remade: America in World War I

Meyer (The Borgias) marks the centenary of America’s entry into WWI with a volume to complement his 2006 book on WWI, A World Undone, in which he largely left the U.S. out of the picture. Here, with great skill and fidelity to fact, Meyer fills that gap to relate the complex tale of a nation venturing back into world affairs after a century of comparative isolation. Necessarily, European events intrude, from the 1914 assassination of Archduke Ferdinand through the long slog of battlefield terror. But Meyer keeps his eye resolutely on American affairs to depict a nation struggling to create a military force, deal with internal opposition, and go to Europe’s aid. Like so many writers of popular history, Meyer tells the story with brio. Characters come alive and the past seems near. But as with so many volumes of popular history, the tale is all there is; neither interpretation nor grand idea intrudes. Meyer adds little to the existing record, opting to rely on earlier historians and meld their work “into a single narrative of what is now known.” Fortunately, Meyer succeeds brilliantly with his basic narrative approach, and any reader who wants to learn about American participation in the war will benefit from this book. (Mar.)