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REVIEWS |
“Outstanding... a valuable mosaic of the American Expeditionary Force from recruitment to discharge. Nelson writes so clearly about the background, especially trench warfare, that even readers with minimal WW1 knowledge will feel educated as well as fascinated.” --Booklist ~~~~~~~~ “The author does an excellent job honoring the specific American experience in WW1 – from immigrant diasporas to the shattered illusions of a quick campaign – and the lives of an extraordinary group of men. A personal, moving journey that will be a welcome addition to any military-history shelf.” --Kirkus Reviews ~~~~~~~~ “Nelson delivers biographies of dozens of young men, poor and middle-class, swept into the American Expeditionary Force and shipped to France, where General Pershing, anxious to prove the superiority of American fighting men (and convinced that trench warfare was for sissies), flung them at German lines, where they performed magnificently but suffered terrible casualties. Nelson delivers a creditable performance, bringing to life an America of 90 years ago in which many eagerly answered their president’s call, but others. . .went about their business until drafted and then dutifully joined the carnage.” --Publishers Weekly ~~~~~~~~ “Give The Remains of Company D: A Story of the Great War a place of honor in your library. It’s well-written and eminently readable, filled with glimpses of a long-ago when these brave young newly minted Americans fought and died for a freedom they didn’t get to live.” --D.H. Brown, Military Writers Society of America ~~~~~~~~ “Not since Flags of Our Fathers – no, make that, Not since Paul Fussell’s The Great War and Modern Memory – no, make that, Not ever -- has an American nonfiction writer reached into history and produced a testament of young men in terrible battle with the stateliness, the mastery of cadence, the truthfulness, and the muted heartbreak of James Carl Nelson in The Remains of Company D. I wish I’d had the honor of working on this book with him. But then, he didn’t need me.” -- Ron Powers, New York Times best-selling co-author of Flags of Our Fathers and author of Mark Twain: A Life. ~~~~~~~~ “War is always hell, but the unprecedented carnage of World War I’s Western Front was the stuff of nightmares. The American boys of Company D were on the front lines, and James Carl Nelson has combined previously unpublished first-person accounts, prodigious research, and vivid, you-are-there prose into one of the great books on the subject. This is a Band of Brothers for World War I.” -- James Donovan, author of A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn – the Last Great Battle of the American West. ~~~~~~~~ “A beautifully crafted anthem to doomed American youth, James Carl Nelson’s The Remains of Company D is a must-read for World War I enthusiasts and those looking for a damn good war book.” -- Alex Kershaw, author of The Bedford Boys and The Longest Winter. ~~~~~~~~ “James Carl Nelson’s beautifully written account of the trials and adventures of Company D brings the doughboys’ saga to life better than any book written in the past ninety years. It’s a gripping story, and a fine tribute.” -- Edward G. Lengel, author of To Conquer Hell: The Meuse-Argonne, 1918. ~~~~~~~~ “A riveting history of American doughboys in the major battles of World War I, as told by the doughboys themselves. This vivid, bloody account is an up-close-and-personal tale – and perhaps the best book written about that almost-forgotten war.” -- William H. Goetzmann, Jack S. Blanton Sr. Professor of History Emeritus, University of Texas at Austin. ~~~~~~~~ “A poignant personal and historical journey into the hell the American doughboy faced on the Western Front in 1918. I will be first in line to buy a copy.” -- James H. Hallas, author of Doughboy War. ~~~~~~~~ “The author has woven doughboys’ personal accounts into a vivid narrative of the ordeals experienced by them in battle. The extent of research is impressive. -- Edward M. Coffman, author of The War to End All Wars: The American Military Experience in World War I. ~~~~~~~~ “An intelligent, sensitive, and – yes – affectionate book about his grandfather’s soldiering in World War I. With scrupulous scholarship, James Carl Nelson draws on a stunning array of fresh material to enrich our understanding of the life of the infantryman in World War I.” -- Franz Lidz, author of Unstrung Heroes and Ghosty Men. ~~~~~~~~ “James Carl Nelson’s book The Remains of Company D is a great contribution to AEF history. He has done an incredible amount of research to convey the experience of one group of doughboys… and to tell their stories in their own words. He reminds us that these long-forgotten battles of 90 years ago were as hard-fought as any before or since. Get this book. It puts a very human face on the experience of Americans on the Western Front.” -- Dr. Paul Herbert, executive director of the Cantigny First Division Foundation. ~~~~~~~~ “One of the very best books of its kind… Absorbing… An excellent work of scholarship that makes a serious contribution to the fields of military history and American social history.” -- Dr. Douglas V. Johnson II, co-author of Soissons: 1918 and Research Professor for National Affairs, Strategic Studies Institute, United States Army War College ~~~~~~~~ “The Remains of Company D is superb. It does for the soldiers of World War I what Stephen Ambrose did for the men of World War II.” -- James Scott Wheeler, author of The Big Red One: America’s Legendary 1st Infantry Division from World War I to Desert Storm. ~~~~~~~~ “An incredibly detailed research effort combined with a very readable writing style make The Remains of Company D a terrific read. By putting a single U.S. Army infantry company under his microscope and expanding his focus to cover the lives of its member before and after the war, James Carl Nelson has created a major contribution to the history, literature, and understanding of the American experience in the Great War. The Remains of Company D is top shelf in every respect!” -- Ed Burke, president, 28th Infantry Regiment Association |
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