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World War One and the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. Two events which will always define the 1910s, a decade which saw great political and social change; a long list of disasters and a realignment of the global stage, something which would help define many of the subsequent events of the twentieth century. When the United States declared war on Germany on April 2, 1917, it was just the first of two major calamities which would in some way impact just about every American man, woman and child during the latter half of the 1910s.
The second of these wars, the Spanish Influenza of 1918, came right on the heels of the Great War's conclusion on November 11, 1918, as many of the returning soldiers came home with the influenza virus, having caught it either in Europe or sometime during the journey home from France. Front Porches to Front Lines tells the story of how the citizens of one small New England town, came together to confront these two wars and in doing so became one of the most generous towns when it came to contributing to the war effort in the form of Liberty Loans, war gardens and war supplies as well as dozens of soldiers, Red Cross nurses and civilian workers, such as machinists.
About the author
Beginning as an academic essay written during his junior year at the University of Connecticut, Front Porches to Front Lines is a historical memoir of World War One and the 1918 Influenza Epidemic. The story is primarily centered in Springfield, Vermont and is based upon the experiences detailed in a trove of family letters. Simon Perlsweig also has an M.A. in History from Southern New Hampshire University, where he continued his study of American Society and Culture during World War One. Aside from history, he also writes poetry; and when not working or writing, he enjoys sports, traveling, cooking, baking, drawing, gardening, hiking and photography. He currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
