George Browne

A BOOK REVIEW OF GEORGE BROWNE’S “AN AMERICAN SOLDIER IN WORLD WAR I”

In George Browne’s “An American Soldier in World War I,” the collection of letters written by Browne himself pertaining to the events happening during the First World War as he experienced it shows the struggles, challenges, and inward and outward battles that soldiers faced in the wake of the war. The letters revolve around Browne’s relationship with his fiancé Martha. In 1918, Browne was assigned to a tension-torn region in Saint-Mihiel where he became a part of a troop that was designated to operate as an offense and defense. These letters provide a real glimpse of how reality was for the soldiers fighting during the First World War, and it depicts the countless moments of distress through which many soldiers suffered from. There transparency of Browne’s letters is one of the factors of the book that really engages the readers, and arguably impels them to dig deeper into the history of the First World War.

For instance, in the first letter that Browne wrote, he mentions to Martha that “[he] has never dreamed of anything like this” pertaining to the fact that he became a major part of the United States forces which also entails a financial benefit on their side. One can argue that Browne, as a

The historical value that is confined within the letters indicate an experiential accuracy and a wider psychological notion that presumes that the First World War highly influenced the way Martha and her future husband viewed the world around them, especially how they viewed America. In terms of academic value, the letters do not necessarily contribute to the formal discourse of the First World War, mainly because Browne’s letter are too attached to the realm of personal feelings and inward emotionalism of being a