Philip S.

Good history, with a little bit of a slant

Reviewed: 09-02-17

The World Remade, by G.J. Meyer is the 'sequel' to his earlier work, A World Undone. That work is an exceptional history of the Great War and I recommend anyone considering The World Remade to read/listen to his other work first.

The World Remade focuses almost entirely on the United States during the war, and was very informative to me about where the US was extremely influential, and where they were not so much. It is focused primarily on the politics of the time, and the military events get relegated to a few chapters. However, as the US joined so late, and still was politically active from 1914-1917, it makes sense that most of the book would not be about the 6 months of combat US troops saw.

The book is very critical of President Wilson and his administration, and while I agree that he deserves this critism, it felt like the author was trying to exonerate the Germans from any wrongdoings besides being politically inept. The Allies are themselves cast as selfish and full of ulterior motives, and while they most certainly were, this is again done while German actions are defended by the author. As someone who has read much on the First World War, I was able to appreciate the German point of view that Meyer gives, but was aware that Meyer wasn't explaining the Allies' actions (i.e. the blockade of Germany) in the same light he did for Germany (i.e. unrestricted submarine warfare). A less aware listener may come away with a different impression.

Besides this, I do recommend The World Remade, and Rob Shapiro's wonderful narration made the 24+ hours a joy to listen to.

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