One of Four: World War One Through the Eyes of an Unknown Soldier

Cover Design and Hemingway Chanticleer Int'l Book Award First Place Win for Fiction Covers and 20th Century Wartime Fiction. FINALIST in the 2024 American Writing Awards 2024 IAN Book of the Year (20th Century Historical Fiction) From New York Harbor to the battlefields of France, relive World War One through the eyes of an unknown soldier, as told through his diary. See how the 100-year-old diary brings a father and his estranged son back together by retracing his experiences fighting in the battlefields of France in 1917 - 1918 to his final resting place, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. His diary was found next to his lifeless body by a young French girl who witnessed his death and bravery as he tried to protect his fellow soldiers. How the unknown soldier felt and what he experienced fighting on the Western Front in World War One -his day-to-day struggles and life as a private and then as an NCO. As he led his men into combat. The pride and fear he felt and the overwhelming stress he encountered, sometimes frozen with fear from the sheer brutality of modern warfare, from all sides. His bravery in combat and leadership in training and on the battlefield. How he coped as he watched his fellow soldiers, battle buddies, and friends die one after another. Some from battlefield injuries from conventional weapons and gas attacks, but also diseases from the unsanitary conditions of trench warfare and influenza. His only wish was to come out alive, a wish that would never come true. But return home, he did.

Review :
"One of Four is a beautiful story expertly set in WWI France. It intrigued me from the start and tugged at my emotions as the story unfolded. It's evocative of Saving Private Ryan, and like watching a movie, such are the visuals Davis sets. One of Four is a five-star read that you don't want to miss." Steve Stratton, award-winning author of the Shadow Tier series. "One of the key takeaways is the overarching leadership theme that instills the values of MAKE A DIFFERENCE and SELFLESS SERVICE into the characters and the reader. Travis Davis is a creative storyteller. And with "One of Four," he has touched the souls of us all." Five Stars-Michael Carlson, vet and author of Drum Corps World. "One of Four is an inspirational tale of not only an unknown soldier's awe-inspiring yet ultimately deadly journey during WWI but also a father and son's bonding experience following the soldier's diary entries. Their somber adventure begins in France and concludes on our most hallowed parcel of land, Arlington National Cemetery." Eric Bishop, author of Ransom Daughter and The Body Man. "Poignant, gripping, and compelling. As a former soldier, it was a privilege to read, and I highly recommend it. Five Stars." David Darling, author of the Noah Hunter series. I was given the opportunity to read this novel and am extremely grateful I did. About twenty years ago, I read All Quiet on the Western Front and was enamored with the vivid descriptions of the war, its atrocities and the impact on the soldiers. This novel rivals it. So much care is taken describing life for the US soldiers training, preparing and fighting the war. It describes life in the trenches, the different types of warfare, what the soldiers endured as they fought the war. An incredible read. The bonus is how this novel is written. A diary of the unknown soldier is found in a bookstore in Paris, abandoned and hidden. As the finder of the diary reads it, him and his father travel to various sites near Paris to explore them and relive history. The bond between father and son, previously strained, increases throughout. They grow together as the son realizes the trauma that war has on its soldiers, and he grows to appreciate his father, a veteran, a little more. The diary serves to put into words and describes to the son what the father also went through, although in different wars. I could not read this novel quickly enough. The story is set up perfectly in the beginning and you are intrigued straight away. It does not let you go until you finish. Near the end, the son comments a couple of times that he can tell he is getting near the end of the diary and is sad that the history is coming to a close. I felt the same as I neared the end, wanting more. Highly recommend!