... the author transports readers back in time, giving them not just a story about people but also a picture of what their world was like. His intent here isn’t to disprove or debunk the York legend—the man was a true hero, that much is indisputable—but rather to augment it, to add to what we know about Alvin York so that we can better understand what made him a hero. A stirring account of an important incident and time in American history..

While his narration of the movement of York’s unit, and the wider strategy of the American Expeditionary Forces, are sometimes ponderous, his reconstruction of the details of the 'York Patrol,' and how the York legend developed are solidly done. However, Nelson’s work is marred by an overuse of colloquialisms.

... an exhaustively researched but mercifully compact study.

Refreshingly, Nelson does not sugarcoat York’s remaining years, portraying him as anxious to help his impoverished community but naïve about human nature.

In this well-researched account, historian Nelson...adds depth to one of WWI’s most celebrated stories.