Review by Choice Review
Wilson (Univ. of Chichester, UK) argues that for New York City, WW I "can be regarded as the basis on which the city's identity was altered, evidenced in the thoughts, habits and ideals of its residents." Using numerous published primary sources from different levels of government, non-governmental organizations, and English and foreign-language newspapers, he has organized a narrative in which all these sources move from calls for neutrality to commands for loyalty. Wilson focuses on ethnicity but addresses the extension of the conformist message to African Americans, suffragettes (criticized for putting their cause above the war effort), and radicals. This book is best used as a launching pad for further questions. The author's sources promoted support for the war; did anyone advocate supporting President Wilson's particular vision of it? Was there a coordinated effort to alter New York's identity, or did motives vary among publications? For whom was New York's identity altered? Do diaries or other intimate documents indicate whether New Yorkers themselves realized a change? If outsiders altered their perception of the city, what happened (Prohibition, perhaps?) to restore New York's image as distinct from the rest of the US? Summing Up: Recommended. Most academic levels/libraries. --Mary Elizabeth Brown, Marymount Manhattan College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
