Mud, Blood. and Poppycock
Mud, Blood, and Poppycock by Gordon Corrigan seeks to debunk common myths and misconceptions surrounding Britain and the First World War. Using personal diaries, medical documents, official communiques, and numerous other primary sources he makes compelling arguments against the mainstream narrative.
Pros
The book is written in a clear and easy to read way. It is not dry or boring, and the author injects his own personal spin that makes it more enjoyable for the reader. It does not feel like you are reading bland facts and statements, instead the statistical data, personal accounts and battle stories are molded into what feels like a great and compelling persuasive argument. Just what I imagine the author was going for.
The book is incredibly well researched, one can tell that the author put in a great deal of effort to ensure no bit of relevant information was left out. There are plenty of maps and graphs used to help the reader understand the points that are being made. It also helps that Mr. Corrigan was in the British military himself. He has a great working knowledge of how the army functions and attempts to convey this knowledge to the reader, so that they may better understand how and why the military does things the way they do. This goes a long way to debunking many of the war’s misconceptions that persist today.
Cons
I did not really have any qualms with this book. I think there were times when the author over explained certain points and a couple chapters went on a little longer than needed. However I firmly believe it is always better to over explain than under explain.
Things to Know
As I said before, the author was in the military himself and uses that experience to convey how it thinks and works. Therefore there are times when the author puts forward his own opinion. I personally thought this was good and helpful, but I know there are people out there who do not like personal opinion being interjected at all so be aware of that.
Recommendation
Mud, Blood, and Poppycock by Gordon Corrigan is incredibly well put together and has a ton of good relevant information; I personally learned a lot while reading. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in World War One, particularly anyone wanting to know more about the British side. It is a refreshing book that dispels the many embellished and oft repeated notions of the Great War that still plague modern retellings. I would go so far as to say it is required reading for anyone wanting to know the real story.
