One Man's Initiation (1920)

One Man's Initiation is a novel written by John Dos Passos, first published in 1920. The book tells the story of a young man named John Andrews, who leaves his comfortable life in the United States to travel to Europe during World War I. Along the way, Andrews experiences a series of adventures and encounters that challenge his beliefs and force him to confront the realities of war.The novel is divided into three parts, each of which focuses on a different stage of Andrews' journey. In the first part, Andrews travels to England and becomes involved with a group of anti-war activists. In the second part, he joins the French army and fights in the trenches. In the third part, he returns to the United States and tries to readjust to civilian life.Throughout the book, Dos Passos uses a variety of narrative techniques, including stream-of-consciousness writing, newsreel-style montages, and fragmented storytelling. These techniques reflect the chaotic and disorienting nature of war, and help to convey Andrews' sense of alienation and disillusionment.One Man's Initiation is considered a classic of American literature, and is often cited as one of the first novels to address the psychological impact of war on soldiers. It is also notable for its experimental style, which foreshadows Dos Passos' later work on the acclaimed trilogy U.S.A.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.