A Few Books for Today

Today is the 93rd anniversary of the armistice that ended the fighting in World War I.  That number seems huge to me now: all the veterans of the war, save one, are dead; in three years we'll see the 100th anniversary of the war's beginning; in seven years we'll see the 100th anniversary of its end.

World War I is one of the time periods that I feel I don't know enough about (along with the French Revolution and the Korean War); over time I've been trying to remedy that.  Here are a few books I've read on the era, and a few I've yet to read:

All Quiet on the Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque:  I read this for one of my Western Civ classes (taught by Dr. Dan White, who was also my undergraduate adviser, and who assigned amazing non-textbook works for course reading).  It's set from the point of view of a young German soldier during the war.

Regeneration, Pat Barker:  This was assigned for a class on historical fiction I took during my master's program.  The story is set in a psychiatric hospital for British officers during the war.

The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman:  I picked this up to read during our trip to Washington, D.C., while we were taking the trains back and forth from our hotel to the Washington Mall.  She is one of the best writers I have read, and she tells how the war unfolded.

A Peace to End All Peace, David Fromkin:  One of the books I've bought but have yet to read, it lays out the effect of the end of the war on the Middle East.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T. E. Lawrence:  I'm not sure where I picked up a copy of this, but I've got it sitting on my to-read list.  It's Lawrence's description of the war in the Middle East.  (If you've seen Lawrence of Arabia, this is the Lawrence in question.)