…. Over the course of the novel, the author paints a lucid and astute portrayal of postwar turbulence, which he portrays as more of a continuation of war by other means than a détente. … The book still provides readers with a rigorously researched look into a neglected aspect of the First World War…. A sometimes-riveting historical tableau…
…. The story is as riveting as it is edifying, and the author astutely limns the role that the United States played in the world, and the dangers it weathered, before it officially declared war. Hockenberry also paints a vivid picture of the difficulties that German Americans faced; one subplot follows the struggle of German American banker John Wittig, who’s torn between his commitment to peace and his allegiance to Germany….