As an educator, I would feel comfortable recommending this book to students during our historical fiction unit. It's nice to see a memoir about World War I. There aren't many books in general about WWI, at least compared to WWII, and they tend to be written at a higher reading level.

However, I did not like how the book was organized. It jumps back and forth from one memory to the other, with the editors commenting in between vignettes. This broke up the action and made it confusing at times to follow.

In “A Boy From Botwood” Newfoundlander Arthur Manuel outlines his experiences during WWI. After enlisting with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Arthur fought in some of the worst battles of WWI. Despite the tremendous odds, Arthur survived both the Somme offensive and Passchendaele.

Well written and provocative, this book is witty, well paced, and downright fascinating. Told from the perspective of a common soldier, the nitty gritty details of war were almost overwhelming in their brutality. This is a must read.