Sergeant York: An American Hero [Paperback]

David D. Lee (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2002

" Alvin C. York went out on a routine patrol an ordinary, unknown American doughboy of the First World War. He came back from no-man's-land a hero. In a brief encounter on October 8, 1918, during the Argonne offensive, York had killed 25 German soldiers and, almost singlehandedly, effected the capture of 132 others. Returning to the United States the following spring, he received a tumultuous public welcome and a flood of offers from businessmen eager to capitalize on his acclaimed feat. But York, true to his character, went quietly back to his home in the Tennessee mountains, where he spent the remainder of his life working to bring schools and other services to those remote valleys where his neighbors lived. In this definitive biography, David D. Lee has firmly established the simple facts of Alvin York's life, distinguishing them from the myths which have grown up around the man. He has reexamined the sometimes conflicting accounts of the famous exploit, finding in his research a hitherto unknown report of the skirmish from German military archives. Lee goes beyond that single wartime episode, however, to consider its consequences on York's later life -- his efforts, not always successful, to better his mountain community; his involvement in making a motion picture of his life; his difficulties with money and taxes. But Sergeant York is better known as a symbol than as an individual, and in this study Lee connects the man and his life to an American heroic ideal. With his rural background, his refusal to take commercial advantage of his fame, and his simple piety, Alvin York exemplified the traditional values of an agrarian America that was in his own day already receding into the past. He claimed a special place in the hearts of his countrymen, Lee concludes, because his life seemed to show that the virtues of the common man continued to be a vital part of American society.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A valuable look at the man, the times, and -- most important -- at the process of creating a national legend." -- Appalachian Journal

"Lee's description and analysis of York's heroic deed will stand as definitive." -- Edward M. Coffman

"Should become the standard reference on the red-haired Tennessean who, in the final days of World War I, emerged from the Argonne Forest by himself with 132 German prisoners." -- Gun Week

"An impeccably researched account of what fame can do to a simple and good man." -- Jerusalem Post

"A highlight of American World War I literature." -- Library Journal

"A finely written and appealing biography of Alvin C. York, the man and American hero." -- McCormick (SC) Messenger

"York, as brought to life in the riveting book, made greatness out of simplicity and personified America and its values at their best -- a true hero." -- Military Heritage

"It is to David Lee's credit that he has shown us the power and poverty of York the symbol and York the man." -- Reviews in American History

"David D. Lee strips away the ticker tape-and-bravado image and takes us back to the early days that shaped the man who initially resisted going to war -- back to the unruly youth whose companions were alcohol and firearms until religion took their place. Reads like a good novel." -- Southern Living

"The most thoroughly researched and satisfying account yet published on Sergeant Alvin C. York, one of the nation's greatest war heroes." -- Tennessean

"A biography which fits his hero into his times, illuminating both of them." -- Tennessee Historical Quarterly

"Clearly written and thoroughly researched in both American and German sources.... Its definitive account of York's life and its elaboration of what hero status and the hero-making process illustrate about American society make it a worthwhile addition to the literature on modern America." -- The Historian

"This well-written, carefully researched study reveals the man and the often puzzling values that made him a hero." -- American Studies

About the Author

David D. Lee, Dean of the Potter College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Western Kentucky University, is the author of Tennessee in Turmoil: Politics in the Volunteer State, 1920-1932.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: The University Press of Kentucky (February 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813190282
• ISBN-13: 978-0813190280
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #625,554 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting!, May 22, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Sergeant York: An American Hero (Hardcover)

A valuable look at York the man, the times he lived in, and the process of creating a national legend. Distinguishes the myths of York's life from the simple facts of his famous exploits. I especially enjoyed the look back at York's rural background and how those values shaped him as a man as well as an American heroic ideal. WEll-researched and documented, but also simply a good read!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Bio of a WWI Hero, July 13, 2004

By 

Kevin Fontenot (New Orleans, LA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sergeant York: An American Hero (Paperback)

Lee views the life of World War I hero Alvin York through the lens of a changing society. York represented, according to Lee, the values of 19th century rural American-simplicity, honesty, hard work, Protestantism, and Anglo-American heritage-in an industrializing society. His defeat of German machine gunners came to symbolize "man over machine" as well. York moved from a pacifist, noninterventionist position to accept America's role as a major world power. This acceptance was based on a religious vision of the US as a defender against evil in the world. Lee's book is well written, moves fast, and well argued. He succeeds in demonstrating that an indivdual life can be used to understand American history in the early 20th century.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too little on WW I, February 10, 2005

By 

Cambo (MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sergeant York: An American Hero (Paperback)

After reading the biography on Eddie Rickenbacker, I figured this book would be a good follow-up on the other "hero" of WW-I. However, the book spends little time on Mr. York's military achievements and contains minimal information on battle tactics and strategy of that time. While the book is interesting and quick to read, it does not rate as a 5-star biography. For those armchair generals who is interested in learning about US history, there are no doubt better sources than this book. But for the cost, its well worth the addition to your library.