American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

Smith, Sherri L. amd Elizabeth Wein. American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky. 

The soaring of the first airplane triggered a race to the skies in the United States. Intrepid individuals took to the air in home-made planes, but as commercial engines became available, a whole infrastructure grew up around servicing and flying airplanes. African-Americans, who were discriminated against, wanted to fly just like their White counterparts, but were being prevented by segregated airfields and laws and customs that argued for the separation of people. African-Americans who wanted to fly were thus hampered in their abilities to do so, and had to ingeniously devise their owns way to get airborne.

During the First World War, several Black pilots flew airplanes, but they did it for France or for the United Kingdom. American pilots could only be White. Following the end of the war, a few of them came back but found their flying prospects limited. Others, like Cornelius Coffey, were enthusiasts who wanted very much to fly, but were blocked from doing so. Cornelius Coffey, a mechanic by trade, partnered with Johnny Robinson, and the two of them, instead of being deterred by all of the obstacles in their way, decided to create their own flying opportunities. They bought their own plane, secured rights to use a field, and eventually even started their own flying school. Black women were doubly hampered by these restrictions, but they fought just like their male counterparts and soon many of them were flying as well.

The struggle continued with exams that Black students could not sit for, permits that were not delivered, and Jim Crow attitudes especially in the South, but through it all Black pilots persevered. As the world hurled towards the Second World War, the need for more military pilot became apparent, and soon programs were expanded to Black students as well, providing them opportunities that had not previously existed., such as the Tuskegee program. These programs demonstrated that integration was possible and did not undermine the fighting spirit and cohesion of a unit. 

By the end of the Second World War, Harry Truman desegregated the military, and folks of all stripes could now learn to fly. Thanks to the struggles of those who came before them, today's pilots share the skies regardless of race or gender.

One of the authors of this book also wrote Code Name Verity, about two girls who fly airplanes during the Second World War and crash in France.

All Quiet on the Western Front

Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet on the Western Front. 1987, first published 1928. 296p. ISBN 9780449213940.

When the First World War erupted in August 1914, soldiers on both sides rushed to the front to deal a devastating blow against their enemies in the name of the motherland. This quickly turned into a quagmire, before evolving in trench warfare where thousands of soldiers would be mowed down by machine guns as they crossed what became known as the no man's land.

Those at home did not know of the murderous nature of this conflict, thanks to effective censorship of letters and newspapers. With no means of discovering what was really taking place, people behind the lines celebrated their soldiers and enthusiastically joined the army. Paul and his friends are encouraged to join the German army by the principal of their school, who extolls the virtues of patriotism and manly honor. After limited training, their new regiment is thrown on the front line, and Paul immediately discovers that what he's been told diverges from reality. The horrors of living and fighting in a trench are too much, and Paul wonders how he will survive.

Yet he does. Assault after assault, bombardment after bombardment, Paul witnesses his friends being killed off one at a time, until he's the last one left of his group. Through visits home during furloughs, where no one understands the reality of what he faces every day, and through the all too short respites between attacks, Paul lives one day to the next, witnessing horrors no one should ever see. But then, in November 1918, it becomes all quiet on the Western Front as the war ends in Germany agreeing to an armistice. For the first time in four years, Paul cannot hear the cannons, and he feels at peace, having survived the greatest conflict the world had known up to that point.

The violence and stupidity of men as they strike at people they don't know for the idea of a State or Country is pervasive throughout, creating a surreal atmosphere where Paul doesn't even know why he is fighting. Fans of World War I and of war stories will feel they are in the trenches as Paul describes his daily activities and his survival of one shattering event after the other.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania

 Larson, Erik. Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania. 2015. 430p. ISBN 9780307408860.

In 1915, the First World War was raging in Europe. German forces were engaged against combined British and French armies on the Western Front, while America remained neutral and did not wish to become embroiled into a foreign war. Americans, however, continued to support commerce, so when the British implemented a naval blockade of Germany, Americans complained loudly. To counteract this British move, Germany sent submarines to break the blockade and sink Allies ships.

Despite the war, passenger ships still ferried people between the United States and Great Britain. The passenger ships of the time were faster than any submarine, and their speed was deemed protection enough against attacks. In theory, the only way a submarine could sink an ocean liner would be to find itself at the right place at the right time, something very hard to accomplish in the thousands of square miles in the North Atlantic. 

The Lusitania was the pride of the Cunard Line, and it could cross the ocean in less than 8 days. Along with more than 1,900 passengers and crew members, the ship was carrying 173 tons of badly needed munitions from American factories to be delivered to the British army in Liverpool. On May 7, 1915, as the ship was nearing the end of its transatlantic voyage from New York to Liverpool, it was torpedoed by a U-Boat, and 1,200 people drowned, including 128 American citizens. Though this did not result in the United States entering the war, popular opinion moved decisively against Germany.

Dead Wake tells the story of the Lusitania and of the people on board, and pairs it with the story of Captain Schwieger, commander of the U-Boat, and the people on board the submarine. Told in riveting action-packed chapters, this naval tragedy marked the consciousness of the country at the time, and it continues to elicit conspiracy theories to this day. Fans of history will love the narrative tale woven by Larson about a moment in history most of us have heard about, but in the end know very little about it.

A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War

Marrin, Albert. A Time of Fear: America in the Era of Red Scares and Cold War. 2021. 320p. ISBN 9780525644293.

When the Bolsheviks seized power during the Russian revolution in 1917, they suddenly found themselves in charge of a backwards country mired in the bloody First World War. Motivated by an ideology that was meant to implement a worker's paradise at the cost of individual freedoms, Lenin and his men instituted Communism in what became the Soviet Union, and pressed for worldwide expansion. Communist parties spread throughout the world, following Moscow's dictating lines and seeking to undermine their own societies for the benefit of a foreign power.

In the United States, the Communist Party of the United States of America was organized to support workers' right in the industrial struggles of the 1910s and 1920s, but in fact acted as a front for Stalin and the Russian Communist Party. Communism became the enemy of the American government, with a long pause during the Second World War. Government investigations by the FBI and McCarthy attempted to unearth supporters and spies of the Soviet Union, while loyalty oaths sought to assure the public that its civil servants were true Americans, despite constitutional provisions of the First Amendment that allowed freedom of speech and assembly.

Over two specific periods, in 1919 and in the mid 1940s to the mid 1960s, the Red Scares saw Communists behind every bush, ready to overthrow the United States and turn it into a vassal of the Soviet Union. In A Time of Fear, Marrin describes the drama and the history of the Red Scares, demonstrating that Communists in the United States were never as prevalent as thought, nor as dangerous to the constitutional order as the methods used to root them out. Fans of history will appreciate learning more about this little known period, and will be able to draw parallels to our current terrorism and white supremacist environments.

The Fall of the Ottomans

Rogan, Eugene. The Fall of the Ottomans: The Great War in the Middle East. 2015. 512p. ISBN 9780465023073.

When the world ignited into the flames of war following the death of Archduke Ferdinand in July of 1914, a complex web of alliances ensnared participants on both sides. A powerful Germany came to the aid of its ally Austria-Hungary, and they were joined by the Ottoman Empire, which covered vast areas of the Middle East. Long considered the Sick Man of Europe, the Ottoman Empire had been around for almost 500 years, and had lost much of its vigor. Internal strifes and wars in the Balkans had drained resources, soldiers, and the will to fight. 

At first, the Ottomans saw the possibility of rapid gains against the French and British colonial empires to their south and west, and, noticing Russia's weakness, also as a way to regain a footing in the Caucasus. With the financial and technical assistance of the Germans, the Ottoman troops launched several assaults against Allied positions, securing far ranging victories in Gallipoli against an amphibian assault, in Mesopotamia (now Irak), and in Palestine. These gains were short lived, however, as men and material poured in the region from the British Commonwealth, the Ottomans found themselves on the defensive. Even Russia, which was being bled by the Germans and where revolution threatened, managed to send armies that pushed the Ottomans out of the Caucasus and made inroads into imperial territories.

By 1918, only the central parts of the Ottoman Empire were free of occupation. The Turks, the largest ethnicity of the empire, committed genocide against their Armenian neighbors. The British seized Baghdad in the east, and Jerusalem and Damascus in the East. As the Germans and Austrians collapsed, the Ottomans dissolved into several independent nations. Turkey became its own state. Several others emerged from the ashes but were immediately colonized by European powers. Artificial frontiers were drawn, and agreements made with native allies were ignored, leading to resentment and frustration that continues to affect the world today. The modern Middle East owes its existence in part to the death of the Ottoman Empire and the consequences of the First World War.

The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today

 Ricks, Thomas E. The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today. 2012. 576p. ISBN 978-1-5942-0404-3. Available at 355.009 RIC on the library shelves.

Wars are often won or loss based on the leaders at the top of the military chain of command. In the United States, generals are tasked with implemented the civilian leadership's will into action on the battlefield. During the First World War, General Pershing was in charge of all US troops in Europe, and he forced through leadership changes that enhanced what the army was doing.

In the Second World War, General Marshall crafted a policy that ensured generals would perform at appropriate levels, and those who could not would be relieved. As a result, the army was innovative and took well-evaluated risks to move their campaigns forward. Generals like Eisenhower, Patton, and Bradley were very successful in prosecuting war with Germany. 

Following the end of the war, however, the army found itself without a mission. The Korean conflict saw a swift rearmament, but suddenly military leadership became skittish. The Marshall policy of removing low-performing generals was ignored, which led to a leadership vacuum at the front. Leadership errors from the Korean war were compounded in Vietnam, where no general was held accountable for military and strategic failures.

The army was reformed after the 1970s, but though it became a more lean and efficient fighting machine, the leadership at the top was itself not transformed. As a result, the United States army continues to win impressive battles but suffer strategic setbacks that prevent it from successfully completing wars, from Iraq to Afghanistan to Syria. 

Fans of history will appreciate reading about the generals that influence the last 120 years of American military life. Lessons learned are exposed, and the flaws that led to today's environment are dissected, with suggestions on what can be done to improve both morale and strategic leadership.

The History of the Air Forces around the World

Saxena, Shalini, ed. The History of the Air Forces around the World. Part of The World's Armed Forces series. 2014. 139p. ISBN 978-1-62275-145-7. Available at 358.4 HIS on the library shelves.

Ever since the Wright brothers successfully flew their contraption in the air for the first time in 1903, airplanes have been part of armed forces throughout the world. But airplanes were not the first airships to be used by the military. Balloons were used at the end of the 1700s during the French Revolution and in Napoleon's campaigns to perform reconnaissance missions, a role reprised during the civil war. Large lighter than air airships build by Count Zeppelin provided civilian transport, and these were then used during World War I to drop bombs on England.

The airplane changed all of that. Mobile and agile, airplanes became offensive weapons in their own right, capable of delivering heavy weapons on foreign targets. European countries assembled large air forces. The interwar saw improvements on engine and guns, and the deployment of aircraft carriers. During World War II large bombers dropped massive payloads on targets, and two atomic bombs on Japan. Jet engines replaced propellers, and planes continued to grow in sophistication, at the same time as remote controlled drones changed how air forces operate and the kind of intelligence that can be gathered.

Most military organizations now possess some aircraft, and air forces continue to be a vital component of a strong military capability. Fans of military history will appreciate the information provided in this book and will enjoy seeing air power develop over the centuries.

The Horse in War

Felber, Bill. The Horse In War. Part of the Horse Library series. 2002. 64p. ISBN 978-0-7910-6651-7. Available at 357 FEL on the library shelves.

Horses have been used in war for thousands of years, but it wasn't until the Egyptians that a force of horsemen was organized to assist the army. The cavalry filled a need for speed, but also shocked the opposing forces through well organized charges. Alexander the Great deployed his cavalry to great effectiveness in his conquests, but as riders' equipment and armor became heavier, new horses capable of carrying great loads in battle were bred. The Romans raised their own cavalry, but generally it was an afterthought to the organization of the legion.

The Middle Ages saw the rise of the knight, a fully armored individual riding into battle on a noble steed, but the appearance of cannons and rifles spelled the end of medieval warfare. Cavalry came into their own to range far and wide behind enemy lines and cause chaos. In the United States, the horse was instrumental in the spread of American military influence, and though cavalry rarely fought each other head on, it remained an essential unit within an army.

The machine guns and barbed wires of the First World War spelled the end of the cavalry. Unable to ride through and accomplish the promised smashing of the enemy line, horses were instead hitched to carriages to transport ammunitions and the wounded. The Second World War saw the last vestiges of horse warfare when the Polish cavalry charged the German tanks invading in September 1939. Horses continue to play a role in military units, but this has been greatly diminished, and the cavalry now rides tanks.

Fans of military history will appreciate this concise book and the information it provides about conflicts and the evolution of the horse's role in the military.

The Grand Escape

Bascomb, Neal. The Grand Escape: The Greatest Prison Breakout of the 20th Century. 2018. 275p. ISBN 978-1-33814034-7. Available at 940.4 BAS on the library shelves.

During the First World War, captured soldiers were interned in prisoners of war camps. The first duty of a confined soldier was to attempt to escape and rejoin friendly forces. The escape of one or more individual consumed an inordinate amount of resources and manpower for the jailers, which detracted from the war effort. Those soldiers who repeatedly escaped and were captured became known as escape artists, and were sent to the prison camp of Holzminden, reputed to be unescapable.

By 1917, some Allied soldiers had been POWs for over two years. Many were itching to escape and rejoin the fight, especially considering the poor treatment they were receiving from their German guards. In Holzminden, a high concentration of soldiers with previous attempts at escaping made such an attempt all but a certainty. A plan was hatched to dig a tunnel from the officers' barracks to the outside, digging under walls, barb wires, and guards, with the mouth of the tunnel emerging in a rye field.

It took months of planning and digging to secure 60 yards of tunnel, but by July 1918, with the rye harvest only days away, it was time for the escapees to go. This large of an operation had created some rumors around camp, but the Germans never managed to discover the tunnel and the people involved in it. On July 24th, during a dark and stormy night, officers crawled through the tunnel and managed to escape the prison before the tunnel collapsed. In the morning the tunnel entrance was discovered, and roll call revealed that 29 officers had escaped.

Though many were re-captured, ten officers successfully evaded the Germans' search efforts and managed to return to the United Kingdom through Holland. A great nonfiction book, The Grand Escape showcases one of the most daring escape attempt in history! Fans of the First World War will appreciate this little known aspect of the conflict.

World War I: A Political and Diplomatic History of the Modern World

Mann, Tara L., ed. World War I: A Political and Diplomatic History of the Modern World. 2017. 290p. ISBN 978-1-68048-359-8. Available at 940.3 WOR on the library shelves.

European nations have always felt threatened by their neighbors. In the early 1900s, this fear of the other led nations to ally themselves in two large blocks, the Triple Entente of France, the United Kingdom and Russia, and the Triple Alliance of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Italy. Both groups were designed to protect members from the other groups. The assassination of the heir to Austria-Hungary in 1914 sparks a war that all projects to be short, but that was anything but. Over the course of four years, millions of soldiers and civilians died, empires collapsed, and military bureaucracies emerged the wring out ever more efficiencies out of the state at the expense of the citizens.

Tensions had been building before, however, and remained even after the conflict was concluded. World War I provides an excellent summary of the war, its causes, and the changed face of Europe and the world when soldiers finally emerged out of the trenches. The war's major events are covered, with a focus on the technologies that changed the battlefield and the human costs associated with such a long and dramatic conflict. It revises the notion that Germany was stabbed in the back by its civilian leadership and allocates faults with all participants, though some more than others. Fans of history will appreciate the extensive details and the shape of relations between these nations throughout this period of history.

World War I and the Rise of Global Conflict

Morgan, Elizabeth. World War I and the Rise of Global Conflict. 2017. 104p. ISBN 978-1534560581. Available at 940.4 MOR on the library shelves.

When nations went to war in August of 1914, it was believed that the conflict would be short-lived and contained to Europe. As countries mobilized their armed forces and as battle plans failed to achieve a breakthrough in the first few weeks of the war, however, it became clear to the generals that this would become a war of attrition. On the Western front a stalemate develops as trenches reach from the North Sea to Switzerland, and armies shoot at each other over a desolated No Man’s Land. In the East, the war is more mobile, but the vastness ensures that no triumphant battles are wedged.

As the participants seek to gain the advantage over their enemies, the conflict grows until it encompasses the entire globe, becoming a true world war. Innovations and weapons are developed at a breakneck pace. Curiosities such as the plane and the machine gun now prove deadly. Ever larger battleships cruise the oceans’ waters, hurling massive shells at each other. Lumbering assault vehicles known as tanks crush everything along the way, including barbed wires and trenches, while poison gas causes thousands of victims on both sides.

In the end, the war to end all war only postponed a more violent reckoning two decades. The harsh conditions imposed on Germany by the victors led to resentment, and the despair caused by Great Depression led to Adolf Hitler’s election and march towards the Second World War. This book presents the origins of the conflict, discusses how it became a global conflict, and examines what impacts it had on the world following the 1918 armistice. Fans of history will appreciate the conciseness yet detailed presentation of information, and will be forewarned that such a large conflict could arise out of seemingly small incidents.   

Midnight at the Electric

Anderson, Jody Lynn. Midnight at the Electric. 2017. 227p. ISBN 978-0-06-239354-8. Available at FIC AND on the library shelves.

In 2065, climate change has now irreversibly impacted Earth, and governments everywhere have pooled their resources to build a successful colony on Mars. Only a select few are sent on this one-way trip, hoping to create a new world and restore hope for humanity. Adri is one such lucky person. A teenager from Florida who lost her only family, Adri has no ties left with Earth, and is eager and ready to go. She will complete a grueling training program in Kansas, then head up to Mars with a small team. When she is informed that she will be staying with a relative during her stay in Kansas, Adri is surprised. She didn’t think she had any of them left.

Now living with her great aunt while she trains, Adri discovers a journal in the large farmhouse. In it, Catherine, a girl who lived over a hundred years ago, describes her hopes and fears during the Dust Bowl of 1934, a period that wiped many farms and towns in the middle of the country. Catherine is worried for her sister, who is sick from all the dust she has been breathing. When the Midnight Electric comes to town and promises eternal life, Catherine is desperate enough to spend money she doesn’t have and attempt it for her sister’s sake. Catherine is also intrigued by postcards her mother received decades ago, written by one of her mother’s friend, Lenore, from England.

In 1919, Lenore writes many letters to her best friend who has departed England for Kansas, relating her life and the impact that her brother’s death during World War I had on her family. Lenore describes her hopes and fears, and talks about the man she has met who lives in a run-down cottage on her family’s estate. Lenore missed her chance to immigrate with her friend, but is still hoping to travel to Kansas and be reunited.

The lives of three girls, in three distinct time periods, are about to meet through journals and postcards, showing that eternal life is indeed possible.

Told from three different points of view, each girl's journey is a product of her time, yet remains eerily similar. Fans of light mysteries and of introspective reading will appreciate how the girls' situations are deftly handled and nicely tie in together.

Innocent Heroes: Stories of Animals in the First World War

Brouwer, Sigmund. Innocent Heroes: Stories of Animals in the First World War. 2017. 198p. ISBN 978-1-101-91846-3. Available at FIC BRO on the library shelves.

Jake York finds himself in the trenches of World War I, wondering how he got here. Wanting to leave his farm and see the world, he joined the Canadian army and left Winnipeg, but could not have imagined how his life would be forever changed by the war. He met Thomas, a First Nations Cree from Northern Saskatchewan, and Charlie, a rich kid from Toronto. Their friendship was forged in the fires and bombardments of the war. All three of them survived and returned home, but they owed their lives to the animals who helped them bring an end to what had been at the time the bloodiest conflict in human history.

From dogs who rescue wounded men in the no-man’s-land between both sides and warned against chemical attacks to cats that kill the large rats that festered in the trenches, to the horses which carried ammunitions and allowed reconnaissance work to the birds that delivered messages, animals played a vital role in keeping the conflict going.

This book adroitly combines Jake and his friends’ story with those of the animals that help them win World War I. It also incorporates nonfiction sections that describe the inspiration for each animal, as well as specific information relating to the Canadian army’s participation on the Allies side. Fans of War Horse will enjoy reading about other animals and their experience during the Great War.

Come On In, America: The United States in World War I

Osborne, Linda Barrett. Come On In, America: The United States in World War I. 2017. 170p. ISBN 1-41972378-2. Available as an eBook from Overdrive.

Starting in the 1890s, the industrial and economic might of the United States began to exert itself. As the world powers collided in 1914, none of them could imagine how long and destructive the war would be. As it dragged on, however, both sides fighting in Europe, the Central Powers of Germany, Austro-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire against the Allies of Britain, France, Italy, and Russia, hoped to keep the United States out of the war. The Allies purchased war material from the Americans, but a majority of Americans did not want to get involved. With large immigrant populations coming from both sides, the country had divided loyalties.

With a British blockade of Germany, the Germans announced unrestricted submarine warfare. The sinking of the Lusitania with 1,200 casualties including over 120 American victims, moved the country ever so closer to war. Further submarine attacks were enough to trigger the United States’ entry in World War I on the side of the Allies, and the arrival of millions of men and equipment tipped the scale to an Allied victory.

But even while Americans were fighting for Democracy against Empires in Europe, there were battles to be fought here in the United States. Racism and segregation were still in effect and were viciously enforced. Women could not vote. Workers had few rights. Big businesses and banks were getting rich. When war was declared, people who did not agree immediately became suspect of being subversives and traitors. How could Americans reconcile themselves between the values they were fighting for and the way they lived at home?

This book explores not only the history of the United States’ entry and participation in World War I, but also the impact the war had at home on the country’s institutions, businesses, and people.

One For Sorrow: A Ghost Story

Hahn, Mary Downing. One For Sorrow: A Ghost Story. 2017. 293p. ISBN 978-0-544-81809-5. Available as an eBook on Overdrive.

In 1918, Annie is about to start 6th grade at a new school, and she is nervous. What will people think of her there? She will have to make new friends and learn how to survive in a brand new social structure. With the Great War in full swing, times are tenses and prejudices against German immigrants rampant. Annie is fortunate that both of her parents are employed. She has nice toys and wears new clothes. Others are not so lucky.

On her first day of school, Anne meets some of the other six graders, but before she’s able to introduce herself to a group of girls led by a redhead named Rosie, she is intercepted by Elsie, who immediately tries to make Anne her friend. Elsie is pushy and she makes sure that Annie does not play with the other kids during recess. She even invites herself over to Annie’s house, and wiggles an invitation for dinner out of Annie’s mother. Annie is frightened by Elsie, and she wishes she had never met her.

Unfortunately for Elsie, on top of being pushy, her father is German. Elsie is thus ridiculed at school for being slow and for being a Kaiser-lover. When Elsie becomes sick, Annie seizes the opportunity and begins hanging out with Rosie and her friends. Upon Elsie’s return, she attempts to get Annie to play with her, but Annie refuses, and she soons becomes another one of Elsie’s tormentors.

At about the same time, the Spanish Influenza begins to strike down residents indiscriminately. Soon families are quarantined and people die. Even the funeral parlors can’t keep up. When Annie and her friends come upon Elsie sitting alone on a swing in a park, they harass her and sing a mean song before ripping away her breathing mask. Elsie contracts the flu and dies. Annie is stricken with remorse. Following an sledding accident in the cemetery, Annie becomes haunted by Elsie, who swears to destroy Annie’s life. With a ghost only she can see affecting the real world, Annie soon finds herself in a psychiatric institute. Can Annie figure a way to make it up to Elsie before her own life is ruined?

Hahn serves another dose of spooky in this well-written tale partly inspired by stories her own mother told her of this time period. Fans of Closed for the Season and Deep, Dark and Dangerous will appreciate this new creepy tale.

Careers in the US Navy

Kiland, Taylor Baldwin. Careers in the US Navy. Part of the Careers in the US Armed Forces series. 2016. 128p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6949-7. Available at 359 KIL on the library shelves.

When John Paul Jones, aboard the Bonhomme Richard, uttered the words “I have not yet begun to fight,” little did he know that he was starting a maritime tradition of excellence and dominance. The United States Navy is present on every ocean, and provides military protection to American allies and deterrence to its enemies. From its humble beginnings as a small navy fighting the British for the colonies’ independence to a nuclear-powered fleet, the Navy exerts many roles.

This book presents information about the history of the Navy, and how it operates in today’s world. The various organizational structures of the Navy are discussed, and the role that diversity plays in Navy staffing is explored. Naval operations are presented, while vignettes of famous sailors and recipients of the Medal of Honor are peppered throughout. Navy specialties are explained, and service requirements are described. Finally, the book discusses Navy’s future in an uncertain world.

Individuals interested in joining the Navy or learning more about will appreciate this book.

Titles in this series include:

• Careers in the US Air Force
• Careers in the US Army
• Careers in the US Marine Corps
• Careers in the US Coast Guard

Careers in the US Army

Rice, Earle Jr. Careers in the US Army. Part of the Careers in the US Armed Forces series. 2016. 128p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6943-5. Available at 355 RIC on the library shelves.

Soldiers are the oldest armed profession. In the British colonies, the minutemen ambushed the British soldiers heading to Lexington to collect weapons, firing the shots heard around the world and igniting the American Revolution. From that crucible of violence first rose the Continental Army, which was then replaced by the United States Army. The U.S. Army has fought in more conflicts than any of the other armed services. From wars against Native tribes to conflicts against Mexico, Spain, and participation in the First and Second World Wars, the Army evolved to become a highly trained and efficient fighting machine able to take on any threat to the United States and its allies. The Army possesses some of the best trained and equipped soldiers in the world.

This book provides a detailed introduction to the history of the U.S. Army. It also discusses the various roles it serves in the era of global terrorism, from conducting ground operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to protecting the homeland. The various career paths for soldiers are examined, and the differences between Active and Reserve Forces are explored. Short biographies of famous soldiers are peppered throughout. Finally, possibility for the Army of the future are presented. Anyone interested in joining the Army will appreciate the range of material available in this book.

Titles in this series include:

• Careers in the US Air Force
• Careers in the US Navy
• Careers in the US Marine Corps
• Careers in the US Coast Guard

Careers in the US Coast Guard

Silverstein Gray, Judy and Taylor Baldwin Kiland. Careers in the US Coast Guard. Part of the Careers in the US Armed Forces series. 2016. 128p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6945-9. Available at 363.28 GRA on the library shelves.

The Coast Guard is tasked with protecting the shores of the United States, but its mission extends far beyond the water’s edges. Among its many missions, the Coast Guard performs search and rescue missions, conducts ship and cargo inspections, and leads cleanup efforts during environmental disasters.First started as a way to generate revenues for the new federal government, the Revenue Cutter Service is appointed to cut down on smuggling and recoup excise taxes. Tasks, such as building and manning lighthouses continued to be added throughout the decades as technology changed. The Coast Guard joined the war effort of several conflicts, from the Quasi War with France in the early 1800s to the First and Second World War and present conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This book provides a detailed introduction to the history of the Coast Guard. It also discusses its various roles in protecting the homeland in an era of global terrorism and performing search and rescue missions after Hurricanes Katrina and Sandy. The various challenges faced by the Coast Guard are reviewed, its equipment is introduced, and life as a member of the Coast Guard is explored. A number of career possibilities are described and include both the enlisted and officer path. Anyone interested in joining the Coast Guard will appreciate the range of material available in this book.

Titles in this series include:

• Careers in the US Air Force
• Careers in the US Army
• Careers in the US Navy
• Careers in the US Marine Corps

War Horse

Morpurgo, Michael. War Horse. 2007. 165p. 243 mins. ISBN 9780439796637. Available as an audiobook on Overdrive.

Told from the point of view of Joey, a horse, this story explores the impact that the First World War had on animals. Joey is a young bay-red horse. He has white socks markings on each leg, and a large white cross on his nose. At six months, Joey is bought at auction and separated from his mother. At first Joey has trouble adjusting to life as a farm animal, especially since the farmer is mean and gets drunk on Tuesday. But the farmer’s young son, Albert, is tender and dedicated and soon both of them become fast friends.

But as 1914 rolls around, the specter of war is threatening to engulf all of Europe. When the conflict erupts, the farmer sells Joey to the army so he can keep the farm. Albert, too young to join, is separated from Joey. He vows to find his horse again. Bought by a young captain, Joey is trained as a war horse for the cavalry, and ships with his regiment to France’s Western Front. There, Joey endures the horrors of war, and as the conflict grounds to a war of trenches, there is no use for cavalry horses. Joey must now do everything he can to survive if he hopes to be reunited with Albert.

Careers in the US Air Force

Rice, Earle Jr. and Wilson Camelo. Careers in the US Air Force. Part of the Careers in the US Armed Forces series. 2016. 128p. ISBN 978-0-7660-6941-1. Available at 358.4 RIC on the library shelves.

The youngest of the United States Armed Forces’ branches, the Air Force has a storied history from its humble beginnings as an afterthought of the army before the beginning of the First World War to today’s global organization capable to deliver soldiers, supplies, and weapons anywhere in the world. The Air Force possesses some of the most advanced vehicles and deadliest weapons of the armed forces, and the men and women who serve in this particular branch of the military are highly trained specialists who fulfill the various missions of the Air Force. The Air Force is not only fighter jets, however. It also flies helicopters, bombers, tankers, rescue planes, and manages some of the space assets.

This book provides a detailed introduction to the history of the Air Force. It also discusses its various roles in the era of global terrorism, from providing logistical support to conducting aerial operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The various Air Force commands are reviewed, and life as a member of the Air Force is explored from the benefits of living on base to training and educational opportunities. A number of career possibilities are described and include both the enlisted and officer path. Anyone interested in joining the Air Force will appreciate the range of material available in this book.

Titles in this series include:

• Careers in the US Army
• Careers in the US Navy
• Careers in the US Marine Corps
• Careers in the US Coast Guard