G.I. The American Soldier in world War II

by Lee B. Kennett

SIGNED WITH NOTE BY AUTHOR. No damage to book, Very slight signs use to DJ.

Genres: History, World War II, War, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, American History, Military History

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1987

About the author

Lee Boone Kennett was a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Georgia. He lived in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina until his death in 2011 "after a long struggle with Alzheimer's disease".

Kennett had a long career as a historian and a writer, in which he specialized in military history. He received many honors, prizes, and awards, including the University of Georgia Research Award, the Lindbergh Professorship at the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., a position as a visiting lecturer at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Aeronautical Section, in Moscow, and his decoration by the French Government as Chevalier, Ordre des Palmes Academiques, for "services to French culture".

Besides his devotion to the study of history, Prof. Kennett also liked old cars and cats.

Reviews

[Sarah Birnbach]

This description of Kennett's book is quite accurate. I am interested in learning more about my father's war experience as a frontline soldier -- an experience he never talked about. This book helped me understand that experience including everything from enlisting to coming home. I wish my father were still alive to ask him about the accuracy of Kennett's writing.

[Brianna]

All about the American GI - how he was drafted, how he was trained, how he felt about the Army, how he experienced combat. This isn't a dry book on Army regulations, but approaches it more from a social psychology aspect, with lots of real-world examples.

One of the most interesting things I found was the chapter on "Army morale". It apparently came as something of a shock to Army personnel that, unlike enlisted men, GIs may not be bashful about vocalizing complaints about the conditions of the barracks, opinions about the usefulness of training proceduers, or disagreements with officers they were outranked by.

I think I'll have to buy a copy.

[Reader2007]

U.S. Military History.

Kennett analyzes the G.I. from many different vantage points, including analysis through the eyes of the Germans, Japanese, Brits, and Australians. His research covers primarily the sociological and psychological aspects of the G.I. Pretty interesting!