Over the Top

Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey is a memoir of the author’s experiences during the Great War. His story is unique in that he was an American that joined the British Army to fight before the United States entered the war. 

Pros 

Empey is good at taking his experiences and condensing them into short sections that do not seem to lose any of their overall quality. Between describing the scene, his feelings, and using dialogue he paints a vivid picture that one can easily put themselves in. The stories are interesting and I never found myself bored or wanting him to get on with the next one. He uses language of the British “Tommy” and explains what the terms mean which helps to make the average soldier seem more personable, something that is somewhat lacking in literature about the First World War. 

The book is concise and easy to read, organization is good. Overall a well written and captivating book. 

Cons 

I really didn’t find any issues with this book. Some of the stories I wish were a little more detailed but they were still sufficient. Of course it could be because the war wasn’t over when this book was first published and some information had to be withheld, so that’s not really a fair criticism. 

There are a couple stories that are not his own but retelling of experiences that he heard from other soldiers. I actually liked this because if it weren't for him writing these down then they may have been lost to history, but I know some people may not like it as it’s supposed to be a book of his own experiences. 

Arthur Guy Empey in his standard British uniform. Public Domain.

Things to Know 

A lot of the reprints of this book do not have the illustrations that were present in the originals. I bought my copy off of Amazon and it is published by CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform and I do not recommend buying one of these copies. In addition to it not having the illustrations there are also several printing errors present, such as pages being in the wrong order. It was fairly easy for me to figure out what order they actually went in but was still frustrating. If you want to read this book then I suggest finding an older copy or one that is advertised as having the illustrations included. 

Recommendation

Over the Top by Arthur Guy Empey is a book I would recommend to anyone interested in World War One. The stories are interesting, the author helps give a more personal view of the war, and it’s concise and easy to read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I think you will too.