Over the Top

Summary

In 1915, the British ocean liner Lusitania was making its way from NewYork to Liverpool when it was sunk by a German U-boat, shocking the world withthe massive death toll. Infuriated by the tragedy, Arthur Guy Empey, anAmerican citizen, traveled to England to enlist in the Royal Fusiliers, as theUnited States had not yet entered the war. Overthe Top tells the story of Empey’s experiences in a voice straight from thewestern front, causing listeners to feel as if they are right there in thetrenches.

This book was the biggest bestseller of the war, with sales totaling amillion copies. Perhaps one of its most entertaining features is the appendix entitled “Tommy’s Dictionary of the Trenches,” which defines slang and other terms used by British soldiers. The book remains a classic, the fascinating story of an American soldierfighting in the British Army.