Homer Randall (1859–1946)

A fascinating series book written just after World War I. The series follows the adventures of 4 young men as they serve in Europe during the Great War. This particular adventure encompasses the very end of the war, and the efforts of the American troops to pacify the German countryside while waiting for the treaty of Versailles to be signed. They battle rioting agitators, undercover revolutionaries, and germ warfare in Yankee Doodle style.

The book is interesting on several levels. I was amused and touched by the boyish slang the writer used in the dialogue. It sounds hopelessly ancient now, but has a certain innocence and naivite about it. I was also amused by how unPC it was! The "dirty Hun" are held in scorn on every page. At one point a character says that the world is divided into two groups, "human beings and Germans." Belgian atrocities are mentioned frequently. And finally, I was quite interested in how psychic the story seemed to be in light of future developments. Much is made of the German despair in defeat, and how the anger and hatred of the allies seems ready to break out again.

This book was intended as formula entertainment for boys in the 20's. I found it to be much more than that.… (meer)