Booklist Review

The sobering realities of World War I are vividly chronicled in this well-produced documentary. Eric Sevareid distinctively narrates, while war veterans, journalists, and eyewitnesses to the devastation in Europe emotionally recall their experiences. To those on the homefront, war seemed an adventurous, romantic notion; U.S. troops soon discovered, however, that harsh weather conditions, the soldiers' inexperience, limited supplies, and enemy tenacity resulted in low morale and high casualties. Eventually both sides weakened, and after more than 120,000 U.S. fatalities, the war ended. Like another title in the American Experience series, The Great Air Race of 1924 (above), this combination of vintage footage, interviews, diary excerpts, and period music forms an absorbing portrait. Ages 12-adult. --Sue-Ellen Beauregard