David Laskin—a graduate from Harvard College in 1975 and Oxford University in 1977—earned a degree in history and literature as well as a master’s in English. He has devoted twenty-five years of his life to writing nonfiction and producing articles for various magazines, including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, among others. As an author and freelance writer, he has produced numerous, notorious works, including his latest title, The Children’s Blizzard, which earned him the Washington State Book Award as well as the Midwest Booksellers Choice Award in 2004. Among his other famous works lies The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War. The monograph focuses on the lives of twelve renowned …show more content…
Goldberg unarguably faced the more sugar-coated aspect of war as he “patrolled…on the lookout for…attacks that failed to materialize.” Due to his location, he never experienced the true violence and gore of battle, leaving “healthier than when he went in” (Laskin, 346). Conversely, Epstein faced many of thehardships most of the others did. Albeit death was not in the cards for him, his inclusion into Company H right after their return from a “blood-soaked battlefield” only lead to a retribution of “grumbling about goddamn replacements” (Laskin, 235). In order to prove himself, he underwent extensive training to make himself “at least competent at shooting” (Laskin, 236). As if it hadn’t been enough, during his service, he was “forced to be without water” while simultaneously “starving from lack of protein,” turning every move into a “gamble with death” (Laskin, 289). It was then that Epstein was facilitated the ability to “be regarded as an American citizen” under General Order 151, (Laskin, 232). In Laskin’s eyes, these men, despite the magnitude of their differences, were both American—alike the rest mentioned in the book. Immigration was superfluous during this