Bodies of Work

Reviews / Votes

'Julie Powell's transnational history of the wounds of wars is one of struggle and hope. She explores the ways war-wounded servicemen as well as their families, communities, and governments attempted to reintegrate disabled men back into civilian society. While acutely sensitive to national variations, Powell has powerful things to say not only about the bodily and emotional horrors of war, but also about the right to rehabilitation and the politics of sympathy.' Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck University of London 'Powell's book makes a vital contribution to the social history of medicine and the First World War. Taking a truly transnational approach to the history of rehabilitation, she tells a story not only of medicine and the male body, but also international cooperation, workers' rights and humanitarian aid in wartime.' Jessica Meyer, University of Leeds 'Bodies of Work is a landmark contribution to scholarship on World War I and the Allied war disabled. Powell's international scope of research is impressive, her prose engaging and insightful, and her arguments convincing and important. This book deserves the attention of all who are researching the war, its precedents, and its aftermath.' Jeffrey S. Reznick, author of John Galsworthy and Disabled Soldiers of the Great War 'Its writing style is precise, making the subject accessible and understandable. The primary sources give it depth and stature. It is an important book that offers readers new insights into the global history of rehabilitation medicine and disability politics.' Elsbeth Boesl, H-Disability '... a welcome addition to a growing scholarship in the twentieth-century history of disabled veterans and their place (or lack thereof) in society. One could also imagine "Bodies of War" serving as a useful model for a more globally minded transnational history, where the colonial ideals of rehabilitation and the lived realities of disability are taken up from places outside of the Euro-American context.' Beth Linker, Isis: A Journal of the History of Science Society