This book is a must read because it gives us probably the most accurate and also unusual glimpses we’ll ever get of live during World War I. There is almost no descriptions of fighting, or the thrill of battles. Instead what we get is a brutally honest (and often surprisingly coarse) account of life in the trenches and in small bombed towns, waiting for the next attack. We follow Bourne and his fellow privates trying to get alcohol, trying to avoid dull duties and parades and generally ruminating on the horror of war. Not everyone’s cup of tea, but personally I was fascinated.