Wade Davis' 6 favorite books about World War I

National Geographic's explorer-in-residence recommends works by Robert Graves, Vera Brittain, and T.E. Lawrence

Author, anthropologist, and photographer Wade Davis

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain (Penguin, $18). Brittain lost her fiancé, her two best friends, and her beloved brother to World War I. By the end of the fighting, she wrote, there was no one left to dance with. This heartrending memoir traces a journey from innocence to horror, from agony to revelation.

Seven Pillars of Wisdom by T.E. Lawrence (Wilder, $13). Lawrence was deeply conflicted about his public image as the hero of a war that had crushed the very notion of heroism. He began his first chapter: "Some of the evil of my tale may have been inherent in our circumstances." He goes on to describe how his men lay naked together, shamed, beneath "the innumerable silences of stars." If he had to be a war hero, British society would have to deal with the truth of his desires and compulsions.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us