The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War

The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War: The United States has always been a nation of immigrants - never more so than in 1917, when the nation entered the First World War. Of the 2.5 million soldiers who fought with U.S. armed forces in the trenches of France and Belgium, some half a million - nearly one out of every five men - were immigrants. In The Long Way Home, David Laskin, author of the prize-winning history The Children's Blizzard, tells the stories of 12 of these immigrant heroes. Starting with their childhoods in Europe, Laskin unfolds the saga of their journeys to Ellis Island, their struggles to start over in the land of opportunity, and the ordeal of their return to Europe in uniform to fight - and win - a war that had already killed tens of millions. Three of these soldiers died on the battlefield; two won the Congressional Medal of Honor; all were transformed forever by their experiences in combat. It is a transformation that continues to be felt in the pride and pain and cherished memories of immigrant families that have long since assimilated. In tracing the lives of these 12 men, Laskin tells the story of an immigrant generation - a generation that streamed into this country in unprecedented numbers around the turn of the last century, that sweated to support their families through back-breaking physical labor, and that fought loyally for their adopted country on the battlefields of Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, and the Argonne forest. Based on stories, letters, and diaries passed on by descendants - as well as Laskin's personal interviews with two foreign-born Doughboys who were still alive at the time he was researching the book, The Long Way Home is a reverent work of history and a deeply moving evocation of the dreams and sacrifice at the heart of the American experience.

"[A] quietly absorbing glimpse of some of the brave soldiers who helped win WWI." (Publishers Weekly)

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (P.S.) - Paperback

  Price

  $15.99 $2.72 (83% Off) Buy from Amazon.com
  (as of 2013-05-22 19:45 PDT)

  Rating

  4.5 (31 reviews)

  Publisher

  Harper Perennial

  Shop

  Amazon

  Format

  Paperback

  Publish Date

  Mar 15, 2011

  Sales Rank

  1358219

  ISBN

  006123334X

  ISBN-13

  9780061233340

  Edition

  Reprint

  Pages

  448

  Search best deal and alternate versions of "The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War" in US (United States), UK (United Kingdom) and CA (Canada)

  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (P.S.) (Paperback)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Hardcover)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Hardcover)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Audio CD)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Audio CD)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (P.S.) (Kindle Edition)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Audio CD)
  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Audio CD)

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  “The Long Way Home is a riveting remembrance of the Great War by a master writer…. Deeply compelling.” — Douglas Brinkley “Moving, revealing, and lovingly researched, this book is a must read, and a great read, for any of us whose forebears came from overseas-meaning just about all of us.” — Erik Larson The author of the award-winning The Children’s Blizzard, David Laskin, returns with a remarkable true story of the immigrants who risked their lives fighting for America during the Great War. — Source: Amazon

  

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War - Hardcover

  Price

  $26.99 $4.82 (82% Off) Buy from Amazon.com
  (as of 2013-05-22 19:45 PDT)

  Publisher

  Harper

  Shop

  Amazon

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Mar 16, 2010

  Sales Rank

  635521

  Pages

  416

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  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Hardcover)

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  From the author of The Children's Blizzard comes an epic story of the sacrifice and service of an immigrant generation. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, one-third of the nation's population had been born overseas or had a parent who was an immigrant. At the peak of U.S. involvement in the war, nearly one in five American soldiers was foreign-born. Many of these immigrant soldiers—most of whom had been drafted—knew little of America outside of tight-knit ghettos and backbreaking labor. Yet World War I would change their lives and ultimately reshape the nation itself. Italians, Jews, Poles, Norwegians, Slovaks, Russians, and Irishmen entered the army as aliens and returned as Americans, often as heroes. In The Long Way Home, award-winning writer David Laskin traces the lives of a dozen men, eleven of whom left their childhood homes in Europe, journeyed through Ellis Island, and started over in a strange land. After detailing the daily realities of immigrant life in the factories, farms, mines, and cities of a rapidly growing nation, Laskin tells the heartbreaking stories of how these men—both conscripts and volunteers—joined the army, were swept into the ordeal of boot camp, and endured the month of hell that ended the war at the Argonne, where they truly became Americans. Those who survived were profoundly altered—and their experiences would shape the lives of their families as well. Epic, inspiring, and masterfully written, The Long Way Home is the unforgettable true story of the Great War, the world it remade, and the men who fought for a country not of their birth, but which held the hope and opportunity of a better way of life. — Source: Amazon

  

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War - Hardcover

  Price

  $26.99 $2.31 (91% Off) Buy from Amazon.com
  (as of 2013-05-22 19:45 PDT)

  Rating

  4.5 (31 reviews)

  Publisher

  Harper

  Shop

  Amazon

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Mar 16, 2010

  Sales Rank

  897862

  ISBN

  0061233331

  ISBN-13

  9780061233333

  Edition

  1St Edition

  Pages

  416

  Search best deal and alternate versions of "The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War" in US (United States), UK (United Kingdom) and CA (Canada)

  • The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Hardcover)

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  From the author of The Children's Blizzard comes an epic story of the sacrifice and service of an immigrant generation. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, one-third of the nation's population had been born overseas or had a parent who was an immigrant. At the peak of U.S. involvement in the war, nearly one in five American soldiers was foreign-born. Many of these immigrant soldiers—most of whom had been drafted—knew little of America outside of tight-knit ghettos and backbreaking labor. Yet World War I would change their lives and ultimately reshape the nation itself. Italians, Jews, Poles, Norwegians, Slovaks, Russians, and Irishmen entered the army as aliens and returned as Americans, often as heroes. In The Long Way Home, award-winning writer David Laskin traces the lives of a dozen men, eleven of whom left their childhood homes in Europe, journeyed through Ellis Island, and started over in a strange land. After detailing the daily realities of immigrant life in the factories, farms, mines, and cities of a rapidly growing nation, Laskin tells the heartbreaking stories of how these men—both conscripts and volunteers—joined the army, were swept into the ordeal of boot camp, and endured the month of hell that ended the war at the Argonne, where they truly became Americans. Those who survived were profoundly altered—and their experiences would shape the lives of their families as well. Epic, inspiring, and masterfully written, The Long Way Home is the unforgettable true story of the Great War, the world it remade, and the men who fought for a country not of their birth, but which held the hope and opportunity of a better way of life. — Source: Amazon

  

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Unabridged) - iTunes Audiobook

  Price

  $23.95 Download on iTunes
  (as of 2013-05-19 20:10 PDT)

  Publisher

  Tantor Media

  Shop

  Apple iTunes Store

  Format

  iTunes Audiobook

  Publish Date

  Mar 16, 2010

  Length

  13 hours 22 minutes

  Narrator

  Erik Synnestvedt

  Presented by

  Audible.com

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  The United States has always been a nation of immigrants - never more so than in 1917, when the nation entered the First World War. Of the 2.5 million soldiers who fought with U.S. armed forces in the trenches of France and Belgium, some half a million - nearly one out of every five men - were immigrants. In The Long Way Home, David Laskin, author of the prize-winning history The Children's Blizzard, tells the stories of 12 of these immigrant heroes. Starting with their childhoods in Europe, Laskin unfolds the saga of their journeys to Ellis Island, their struggles to start over in the land of opportunity, and the ordeal of their return to Europe in uniform to fight - and win - a war that had already killed tens of millions. Three of these soldiers died on the battlefield; two won the Congressional Medal of Honor; all were transformed forever by their experiences in combat. It is a transformation that continues to be felt in the pride and pain and cherished memories of immigrant families that have long since assimilated. In tracing the lives of these 12 men, Laskin tells the story of an immigrant generation - a generation that streamed into this country in unprecedented numbers around the turn of the last century, that sweated to support their families through back-breaking physical labor, and that fought loyally for their adopted country on the battlefields of Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, and the Argonne forest. Based on stories, letters, and diaries passed on by descendants - as well as Laskin's personal interviews with two foreign-born Doughboys who were still alive at the time he was researching the book, The Long Way Home is a reverent work of history and a deeply moving evocation of the dreams and sacrifice at the heart of the American experience.
  
  "[A] quietly absorbing glimpse of some of the brave soldiers who helped win WWI." (Publishers Weekly) — Source: Apple iTunes Store

  

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Unabridged) - Digital Download

  Price

  $29.99 $20.99 (30% Off) Buy from Audible.com
  (as of 2010-06-09 0:00 PDT)

  Publisher

  Tantor Media

  Shop

  Audible

  Format

  Digital Download

  Publish Date

  Mar 9, 2010

  Length

  13 hours 25 minutes

  Narrator

  Erik Synnestvedt

  Preview

  mwprealmp3

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  Sign up AudibleListener® Gold and Download The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War (Unabridged) for Special Offer Price: $7.49

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  The United States has always been a nation of immigrants - never more so than in 1917, when the nation entered the First World War. Of the 2.5 million soldiers who fought with U.S. armed forces in the trenches of France and Belgium, some half a million - nearly one out of every five men - were immigrants.In The Long Way Home, David Laskin, author of the prize-winning history The Children's Blizzard, tells the stories of 12 of these immigrant heroes. Starting with their childhoods in Europe, Laskin unfolds the saga of their journeys to Ellis Island, their struggles to start over in the land of opportunity, and the ordeal of their return to Europe in uniform to fight - and win - a war that had already killed tens of millions.Three of these soldiers died on the battlefield; two won the Congressional Medal of Honor; all were transformed forever by their experiences in combat. It is a transformation that continues to be felt in the pride and pain and cherished memories of immigrant families that have long since assimilated.In tracing the lives of these 12 men, Laskin tells the story of an immigrant generation - a generation that streamed into this country in unprecedented numbers around the turn of the last century, that sweated to support their families through back-breaking physical labor, and that fought loyally for their adopted country on the battlefields of Belleau Wood, Soissons, St. Mihiel, and the Argonne forest. Based on stories, letters, and diaries passed on by descendants - as well as Laskin's personal interviews with two foreign-born Doughboys who were still alive at the time he was researching the book, The Long Way Home is a reverent work of history and a deeply moving evocation of the dreams and sacrifice at the heart of the American experience. — Source: Audible

  

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War - Hardcover

  Price

  $26.99 $19.43 (28% Off) Buy from Barnes & Noble
  (as of 2013-05-19 20:10 PDT)

  Rating

  4.5 (4 reviews)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins Publishers

  Shop

  Barnes & Noble

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Mar 2010

  Sales Rank

  80027

  ISBN

  0061233331

  ISBN-13

  9780061233333

  Pages

  386

  Alternate Versions

  • eBook - $11.9
  • Paperback - $10.7
  • Compact Disc - Unabridged, 12 CDs, 14 hours - $34.1

  Biography

  David Laskin was born in New York in 1953 and educated at Harvard College and New College, Oxford. For the past twenty-five years, Laskin has written books and articles on a wide range of subjects, including history, weather, travel, gardens, and the natural world. His most recent book, The Children's Blizzard, won the Washington State Book Award and the Midwest Booksellers' Choice Award for Nonfiction. Laskin's other titles include Braving the Elements: The Stormy History of American Weather, Partisans: Marriage, Politics and Betrayal Among the New York Intellectuals; A Common Life: Four Generations of American Literary Friendship and Influence; and Artists in their Gardens (coauthored with Valerie Easton). A frequent contributor to The New York Times Travel Section, Laskin also writes for the Washington Post, the Seattle Times, and Seattle Metropolitan. He and his wife, Kate O'Neill, the parents of three grown daughters, live in Seattle with their two sweet old dogs.

  Library Journal

  Laskin follows 12 men, born in Europe, who emigrated to America, made lives here, and eventually found themselves in the American Expeditionary Force of World War I. They mostly left tight-knit communities of immigrants—Italians, Jews, Poles, Slovaks, Russians, and Irish—to fight in Europe, but they returned as Americans, a sea change that affected the nation ever after. Strongly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/09.]

  Publishers Weekly

  At the height of America’s involvement in the Great War, nearly one in five of the 4.7 million Americans in uniform had been born overseas. Laskin (The Children’s Blizzard) chronicles the lives of 12 of these men who immigrated from Europe. The soldiers’ loyalty and pride in serving won them and their families the status of “real” Americans. Meyer Epstein, a Russian-Jewish plumber from New York’s Lower East Side, who had been living by his wits and muscle, was eventually awarded four Bronze Stars; marching with the American army through France was not much worse than his youth hauling junk around the shtetls of the Pale of Settlement with a horse and cart. Charming and fastidious Tony Pierro, a southern Italian gardener, drove horse-drawn supply wagons to and from the front in France, bringing munitions in and carting corpses out. Andrew Christofferson, drafted from his Montana homestead, was hungrier in the trenches in France than he’d been as a poor boy in Norway. This quietly absorbing glimpse of some of the brave soldiers who helped win WWI will appeal to history buffs. 16 pages of photos. (Mar.)

  Synopsis

  From the author of The Children's Blizzard comes an epic story of the sacrifice and service of an immigrant generation.

  When the United States entered World War I in 1917, one-third of the nation's population had been born overseas or had a parent who was an immigrant. At the peak of U.S. involvement in the war, nearly one in five American soldiers was foreign-born. Many of these immigrant soldiers—most of whom had been drafted—knew little of America outside of tight-knit ghettos and backbreaking labor. Yet World War I would change their lives and ultimately reshape the nation itself. Italians, Jews, Poles, Norwegians, Slovaks, Russians, and Irishmen entered the army as aliens and returned as Americans, often as heroes.

  In The Long Way Home, award-winning writer David Laskin traces the lives of a dozen men, eleven of whom left their childhood homes in Europe, journeyed through Ellis Island, and started over in a strange land. After detailing the daily realities of immigrant life in the factories, farms, mines, and cities of a rapidly growing nation, Laskin tells the heartbreaking stories of how these men—both conscripts and volunteers—joined the army, were swept into the ordeal of boot camp, and endured the month of hell that ended the war at the Argonne, where they truly became Americans. Those who survived were profoundly altered—and their experiences would shape the lives of their families as well.

  Epic, inspiring, and masterfully written, The Long Way Home is the unforgettable true story of the Great War, the world it remade, and the men who fought for a country not of their birth, but which held the hope and opportunity of a better way of life.

  The Washington Post - Steven V. Roberts

  [America is] never perfect, never static, never finished. We are constantly enriched by new blood, energy and ideas. As Barack Obama put it in his inaugural address, "Our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness." In this compelling book, Laskin makes this same point by following the lives of 12 American doughboys who had been born in Europe and who then returned there to fight for their adopted country in World War I. It's an imaginative concept, and Laskin mines family legends and official documents to tell the stories of these ordinary foot soldiers from Italy and Ireland, Poland and Russia, Slovakia and Norway.

  
  — Source: Barnes & Noble

  

• The Long Way Home: An American Journey from Ellis Island to the Great War - Hardcover

  Price

  $22.94 Buy from Walmart
  (as of 2013-05-19 20:10 PDT)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins

  Shop

  Walmart

  Format

  Hardcover

  Publish Date

  Mar 2010

  ISBN

  0061233331

  ISBN-13

  9780061233333

  Pages

  386

  Shipping Weight (in pounds)

  1.27

  Product in Inches (L x W x H)

  6.58 x 1.4 x 9.26

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  This look at the immigrant experience in the early 1900s traces the lives of a dozen men from their childhoods in Europe through their arrival at Ellis Island, their challenges in a strange new land, and their struggles during the Great War. b&w photo insert. — Source: Walmart

  

• The Long Way Home - Apple iBook for iPad/iPhone 4

  Price

  $11.99 $9.99 (17% Off) Download in iBooks (iPad/iPhone 4)
  (as of 2013-05-19 20:10 PDT)

  Rating

  5.0 (7 reviews)

  Publisher

  HarperCollins

  Shop

  Apple iBookstore

  Format

  Apple iBook for iPad/iPhone 4

  Category

  History

  Seller

  HarperCollins

  Language

  English

  Print Length

  448 Pages

  This product is available on iPad/iPhone 4 with iBooks

  iBooks is an amazing new way to download and read books. iBooks is designed exclusively for iPad/iPhone 4. You can download iBooks from the App Store on iPad/iPhone 4 or from iTunes on your computer. Search deals on iPad and accessories

  Product Description / Editorial Review

  From the author of The Children's Blizzard comes an epic story of the sacrifice and service of an immigrant generation. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, one-third of the nation's population had been born overseas or had a parent who was an immigrant. At the peak of U.S. involvement in the war, nearly one in five American soldiers was foreign-born. Many of these immigrant soldiers—most of whom had been drafted—knew little of America outside of tight-knit ghettos and backbreaking labor. Yet World War I would change their lives and ultimately reshape the nation itself. Italians, Jews, Poles, Norwegians, Slovaks, Russians, and Irishmen entered the army as aliens and returned as Americans, often as heroes. In The Long Way Home, award-winning writer David Laskin traces the lives of a dozen men, eleven of whom left their childhood homes in Europe, journeyed through Ellis Island, and started over in a strange land. After detailing the daily realities of immigrant life in the factories, farms, mines, and cities of a rapidly growing nation, Laskin tells the heartbreaking stories of how these men—both conscripts and volunteers—joined the army, were swept into the ordeal of boot camp, and endured the month of hell that ended the war at the Argonne, where they truly became Americans. Those who survived were profoundly altered—and their experiences would shape the lives of their families as well. Epic, inspiring, and masterfully written, The Long Way Home is the unforgettable true story of the Great War, the world it remade, and the men who fought for a country not of their birth, but which held the hope and opportunity of a better way of life. — Source: Apple iBookstore