Soldiers Don't Go Mad: A True Story of Friendship, Poetry, and Mental Illness During the First World War

by Charles Glass

A brilliant and poignant history of the friendship between two great war poets, Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, alongside a narrative investigation of the origins of PTSD and the literary response to World War I

From the moment war broke out across Europe in 1914, the world entered a new, unparalleled era of modern warfare. Soldiers faced relentless machine gun shelling, incredible artillery power, flame throwers, and gas attacks. Within the first four months of the war, the British Army recorded the nervous collapse of ten percent of its officers; the loss of such manpower to mental illness – not to mention death and physical wounds – left the army unable to fill its ranks. Second Lieutenant Wilfred Owen was twenty-four years old when he was admitted to the newly established Craiglockhart War Hospital for treatment of shell shock. A bourgeoning poet, trying to make sense of the terror he had witnessed, he read a collection of poems from a fellow officer, Siegfried Sassoon, and was impressed by his portrayal of the soldier’s plight. One month later, Sassoon himself arrived at Craiglockhart, having refused to return to the front after being wounded during battle.

Though Owen and Sassoon differed in age, class, education, and interests, both were outsiders – as soldiers unfit to fight, as gay men in a homophobic country, and as Britons unwilling to support a war likely to wipe out an entire generation of young men. But more than anything else, they shared a love of the English language, and its highest expression of poetry. As their friendship evolved over their months as patients at Craiglockhart, each encouraged the other in their work, in their personal reckonings with the morality of war, as well as in their treatment. Therapy provided Owen, Sassoon, and fellow patients with insights that allowed them express themselves better, and for the 28 months that Craiglockhart was in operation, it notably incubated the era’s most significant developments in both psychiatry and poetry.

Drawing on rich source materials, as well as Glass’s own deep understanding of trauma and war, SOLDIERS DON’T GO MAD tells for the first time the story of the soldiers and doctors who struggled with the effects of industrial warfare on the human psyche. Writing beyond the battlefields, to the psychiatric couch of Craiglockhart but also the literary salons, halls of power, and country houses, Glass charts the experiences of Owen and Sassoon, and of their fellow soldier-poets, alongside the greater literary response to modern warfare. As he investigates the roots of what we now know as post-traumatic stress disorder, Glass brings historical bearing to how we must consider war’s raving effects on mental health, and the ways in which creative work helps us come to terms with even the darkest of times.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War I, Poetry, War, Biography, Audiobook

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 6, 2023

About the author

Charles Glass is an author, journalist and broadcaster, who specializes in the Middle East. He made headlines when taken hostage for 62 days in Lebanon by Shi’a militants in 1987, while writing a book during his time as ABC’s News chief Middle East correspondent. He writes regularly for the New York Review of Books, Harper’s, the London Review of Books and The Spectator. He is the author of Syria Burning, Tribes with Flags, Money for Old Rope, The Tribes Triumphant, The Northern Front, Americans in Paris and Deserters: A Hidden History of World War II.

Reviews

[Helga · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rank stench of those bodies haunts me still
And I remember things I'd best forget…

This is a heartrending and moving true story about the unlikely yet enduring friendship between Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, two poets who had to enlist to fight in a war they believed was not a war at all, but an organized murder.

This is not a war at all, it’s bloody murder!

After being injured, physically and mentally, they both stayed at Craiglockhart Hospital which was a specialized place for treatment of shellshock. There, they became fast friends; there, they wrote poems...poems about war and its hideousness.

For the last time I say war is not glorious…

This book is not only about the two poets and their perspectives towards war, but also the distress and trauma the soldiers endured during the war and the steps which were taken by physicians to ease their mental pain and suffering.

Suicide In The Trenches by Siegfried Sassoon

I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

Mental Cases by Wilfred Owen

Who are these? Why sit they here in twilight?
Wherefore rock they, purgatorial shadows,
Drooping tongues from jaws that slob their relish,
Baring teeth that leer like skulls’ tongues wicked?
Stroke on stroke of pain,—but what slow panic,
Gouged these chasms round their fretted sockets?
Ever from their hair and through their hand palms
Misery swelters. Surely we have perished
Sleeping, and walk hell; but who these hellish?

—These are men whose minds the Dead have ravished.
Memory fingers in their hair of murders,
Multitudinous murders they once witnessed.
Wading sloughs of flesh these helpless wander,
Treading blood from lungs that had loved laughter.
Always they must see these things and hear them,
Batter of guns and shatter of flying muscles,
Carnage incomparable and human squander
Rucked too thick for these men’s extrication.

Therefore still their eyeballs shrink tormented
Back into their brains, because on their sense
Sunlight seems a bloodsmear; night comes blood-black;
Dawn breaks open like a wound that bleeds afresh
—Thus their heads wear this hilarious, hideous,
Awful falseness of set-smiling corpses.
—Thus their hands are plucking at each other;
Picking at the rope-knouts of their scourging;
Snatching after us who smote them, brother,
Pawing us who dealt them war and madness.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction examination of “shell shock” during WWI as illustrated through the friendship between poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, two officers who were treated at Craiglockhart hospital in Scotland by doctors William Rivers and Arthur Brock. World War I was the first to be fought in a style enabled by the industrial revolution with machine guns, artillery barrages, and chemical warfare. The devastation and numbers of casualties were overwhelming, leading to psychological damage to the survivors.

This book recounts the methods of treatment, and the burgeoning friendship between Sassoon and Owen. It also provides the viewpoints of the day, when mental issues were not seen as legitimate illnesses. Enlisted men generally received little (if any) treatment, and some were executed for “cowardice.” The goal of the officers’ treatment was to send them back to the front as soon as possible. The doctors were placed in the difficult position of healing while realizing the potential outcomes if they were returned to the battlefields. Sassoon was against the war but determined to return to the front.

This book provides an interesting perspective on the history of treatment for what is now called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It showcases the value of literature in both highlighting the horrors of war, objecting to it, and healing those impacted by related psychological issues. Highly recommended to those interested in the history of PTSD or WWI.

If you ever wish to read a fictional treatment of the friendship between Sassoon and Owen at Craiglockhart, I can also highly recommend Pat Barker’s Regeneration.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

The trench warfare of WWI made soldiers feel helpless as they held their ground while being shelled and gassed. Doctors late in the war could see the helplessness of 'observers', flying in balloons to spot the enemy resulted in far greater shell shock than in the airplane pilots who had more control of their fate. Late in the war, when mobile warfare replaced the trenches, the decline in neurasthenic cases was proven correct.

Early in the war, military leaders didn't know whether to shoot these trembling and broken soldiers for cowardice (300+ were indeed executed) or somehow treat them for injuries that could not be seen. Sadly, only the officers (and not the lower privates and other soldiers) were sent to Craiglockhart, in Edinburgh Scotland.

"Kriegsneurose = la confusion mentale de la guerre = neurasthenia = shell shock = battle fatigue = Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Soldiers suffered unexplained blindness, mutism, paralysis, shaking, and nightmares.

Instead of treating patients with electroshock, or ice water, or belittling them until they returned to battle, the new doctors had science studies backing them that promoted getting these mentally injured officers to talk about their experiences. Physical exercise (sports, farming) were promoted.

This book's 20 chapters begins talking about shell shock and the thoughts surrounding it. Then the establishment of Craiglockhart Hospital. By ch 5, Wilfred Owens arrives. Ch 6 we meet another new arrival - Siegfried Sassoon. These are the two most famous of the 'trench poets' of WWI. The remaining chapters of this book describe in great detail their four months seeing each other on in the care at Craiglockhart, and then their subsequent time afterwards returning to battle, with some return care still needed.

The poetry of Owen focused on empathy for the soldiers. Sassoon verse pointed toward the futility of war.

They differed in age, class, education, and interests, but they shared the common experience of being outsiders - soldiers removed from combat, gay men in an era of homophobia, and both became officers rejecting a war that was annihilating an entire generation of young men. Both loved poetry. They met at Craiglockhart for their treatment of shell shock.

A few examples of their poetic differences:

Dulce et Decorum Est
by Owen Wilfred

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling
And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,—
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.

Translation, last 2 lines:
It is sweet and fitting to die for one's country.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

============

Fight to a Finish
Siegfried Sassoon

Fight To A Finish
The boys came back. Bands played and flags were flying,
And Yellow-Pressmen thronged the sunlit street
To cheer the soldiers who’d refrained from dying,
And hear the music of returning feet.
‘Of all the thrills and ardours War has brought,
This moment is the finest.’ (So they thought.)

Snapping their bayonets on to charge the mob,
Grim Fusiliers broke ranks with glint of steel,
At last the boys had found a cushy job.



I heard the Yellow-Pressmen grunt and squeal;
And with my trusty bombers turned and went
To clear those Junkers out of Parliament.

https://allpoetry.com/Fight-To-A-Finish

========

Suicide In The Trenches
By Siegfried Sassoon

I knew a simple soldier boy
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed and glum,
With crumps and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you'll never know
The hell where youth and laughter go.

https://allpoetry.com/Suicide-In-The-...

==================

Glory of Women
By Siegfried Sassoon
You love us when we're heroes, home on leave,

Or wounded in a mentionable place.

You worship decorations; you believe

That chivalry redeems the war's disgrace.

You make us shells. You listen with delight,

By tales of dirt and danger fondly thrilled.

You crown our distant ardours while we fight,

And mourn our laurelled memories when we're killed.

You can't believe that British troops “retire”

When hell's last horror breaks them, and they run,

Trampling the terrible corpses—blind with blood.

O German mother dreaming by the fire,

While you are knitting socks to send your son

His face is trodden deeper in the mud.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

================

In March 2017, Wilfred Owen had a concussion for three weeks. In April, a shell burst blew him skyward and unconscious again. He spent several days sheltered in a trench with the dead remains of a soldier. In May he was shaking and stammering. In late June, at age 24, he was admitted to Craiglockhart Hospital.

Owen wrote to his mother in January, prior to being admitted: "it is the place of gnashing of teeth; the Sough of Despond could be contained in one of its crater-holes; the fire of Sodom and Gomorrah could not light a candle to it - to find the way to Babylon the fallen.

Arriving at Craiglockhart a month later in late July of 1917 was Siegfried Sassoon, age 30. He had won a Military Cross, but had been ordering his men into no man's land with reckless abandonment as he questioned the sanity of this war that showed no end.

It is Aug 18, 1917, and they meet. Older Sassoon sees Owen as "an interesting little chap", while Owen is in awe of Sassoon. Sassoon was six years older, a half a foot taller, an established poet, a decorated warrior, and a Cambridge man. Owen had never published, harbored fears that senior officers suspected him of cowardice, and could only dream of Cambridge.

The Hydra was a Craiglockhart Hospital publication that allowed anyone at the hospital to add content. Poetry, summaries of sports, or farm production could be written up. The editor tended to do most of the writing. In the first issue, famed poet Siegfried Sassoon contributed two poems. Owen became an editor of this publication. He felt in awe of Sassoon, and Owen wouldn't even sign his own name to poetry he put in The Hydra as his confidence was not strong.

The best part of this book is reading about the growth of Wilfred Owen at Craiglockhart, as he got to talk with Siegfried Sassoon daily. This, coupled with talking about his war experiences with his highly capable doctor, led to stronger poems that strike to your heart. You almost need to read Owen's poetry in the order it was written, to see how he opened up.

"Wilfred Owen had arrived at Craiglockhart 130 days before. His experiences there had transformed him, the boy becoming a man, the hesitant versifier a fine poet, the self-conscious provincial accepted into the Edinburgh art world, and the trembling, shell-shocked subaltern a self-confident officer capable of leading men in battle."

In 1905, the 19 year old Siegfried had admitted to his younger brother Hamo, that he was homosexual. Hamo was untroubled, telling his brother that he was too. For Owen, homoeroticism was a central element in much of his poetry, but all we absolutely know is more from what others 'believed' about him. We read nothing here in this book that openly shows Owen as gay, the way Sassoon obviously was.

e.g. Owen began a poem about a shirtless working-class boy he had seen ty the River Thames in London's East End. He called it "Lines to a Beauty Seen in Limehouse."

I saw thee siting carven like a god,
That may have cared for such as barefoot trod.

This early poem remained incomplete.

The relationship here between Owen and Sassoon describes Owen as a hero-worshiper of Sassoon. In a letter from Owen to Sassoon after leaving:

Know that since mid-September, when you still regarded me as a tiresome little knocker on your door, I held you as Keats + Christ + Elijah + my Colonel + my father-confessor + Amenophis IV in profile.
What's that mathematically?
In effect it is this: that I love you, dispassionately, so much, so very much, dear Fellow, that the blasting little smile you wear on reading this can't hurt me in the least.

Dr. Brock encouraged Owen to write poetry - it was therapeutic.
"Brock made little of passages that implied sexual frustration, love of young soldiers, and the effect on him of their suffering. The purpose of Brock's therapy was to restore Owen's confidence as a soldier."

Although Owen did not have much published prior to his untimely death just a week before the 11/11/1918 Armistice, Sassoon recognized his talent and had been working on collecting and promoting his poetry.

Sassoon was angry at women who encouraged husbands, sons, and lovers to fight. He also lashed out against England's ruling class, blaming them for not really having a plan to end the war. He felt his leaders even wanted to be greedy and gain their own pieces of land by defeating Germany.

"Soldiers conceal their hatred of war.
Civilians conceal their liking for it."

Sassoon was very luck that his class-status kept him from extremely harsh penalties. His treatment recommendations didn't want to 'martyr' him into a scandal, so he was not court-martialed.

Sassoon lost some dear friends in the war that further fueled his pacifism growing. Yet Sassoon wanted to have the world know he was sane, and the only way to do this was to be admitted back to the front lines of the war.

The pieces of poetry selections chosen by the author here are perfect for this book. They encourage me to seek out the full text of all these poems of these great trench poets.

A very solid 5* book here for me.


Further WWI Poetry Readings

Above the Dreamless Dead: World War I in Poetry and Comics by Chris Duffy is a very artistic/graphic collection with every poem helped by artists. A good beginner-entry to both poetry, and this WWI specific genre.
Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology by Tim Kendall
The War Poems Of Wilfred Owen by Wilfred Owen
Poems of the Great War 1914-1918 by Richard Aldington
The Penguin Book of First World War Poetry by Matthew George Walter
Six Poets of the Great War: Wilfred Owen, Siegfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg, Richard Aldington, Edmund Blunden, Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke and Many Others by Adrian Barlow
The Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen by Wilfred Owen
Anthem for Doomed Youth by Wilfred Owen
The Collected Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Siegfried Sassoon
The War Poems of Siegfried Sassoon by Siegfried Sassoon

[Sarah-Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Soldiers Don't Go Mad was an interesting read, but it simply wasn't as compelling as I'd hoped. I was excited about the idea of a work of nonfiction that could explore shell shock, poetry, and gay identity in the context of WWI.

There's a lot here, but the writing is dry, and even with an interest in the topic, I found myself having to work to stay on track with this title. At times, I'd find myself fully engaged, but I also had to force myself to keep going at other times.

I received a free, electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via Edelweiss; the opinions are my own.

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Glass has written an outstanding and historically accurate account of World War One and the many British men who served and died in that "War to end all wars." The poet and WWI officer, Siegfried Sassoon, phrased it accurately enough: " They mean to skin Germany alive. 'A peace to end peace." Sassoon was a harsh critic of the managing of that War. The British government was unwilling to negotiate a peace with Germany in 1916. The British refused to accept the Kaiser's terms to continue the monarchy.

Mr. Glass's book is about numerous British Officers who suffered from "shell shock." These officers were sent to Craiglockhart War Hospital near Edinburgh, Scotland. The poets Siegfried Sassoon, Robert Graves and Wilfred Owen were among the patients.

To alleviate their condition, these poets chose to write poems for the hospital newsletter, called "The Hydra." Some examples:

"And it's been proved that soldiers don't go mad
Unless they lose control of ugly thoughts
That drive them out to jabber among the trees." Siegfried Sassoon, "Repression of War Experiences," 1917

"Now, God be thanked Who has matched us with His hour
And caught our youth, and wakened us from sleeping." Rupert Brooke

"Make our our heavenly light the fires of hell.
Oh, set us wholly instinct free,
That like the birds and beasts we dwell
In sweet unquestioned liberty.
Freed from the anguish
Of those who languish
In self-confined and self-consumed flames,
Proffering ought before thy Name of names." Crucifixion" by Max Plowman

"God in every one of you was slain;
For killing men is always killing God,
Though Life destroyed shall come to live again
And loveliness rise from the sodden sod.
But if of life we do destroy the best,
God wanders wide, and weeps his unrest." "The Dead Soldiers" by Max Plowman

"We are the Dead, Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields." John McCrae's homage to the poets who died in WW1.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is no tragedy in fiction that can compare with this.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glass uses the history of the friendship between Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, two British officers who became two of the greatest poets from World War, to frame a study of the treatment of "shell shock" and the role of literary response to trauma. Both Sassoon and Owen, like many young men, volunteered early for a war they thought would be fought in the old style and would be over by Christmas. But they and their fellow soldiers faced unparalleled dangers--from machine gun barrages to relentless artillery attacks, from flame throwers to chemical warfare. Dangers that not only caused physical damage and fatalities in huge numbers, but also brought about the nervous collapse of ten percent of its officers (in addition to a similar percentage of enlisted men)--a leadership loss the Allies could ill afford.

New war hospitals devoted to mental health were established--with the best and most successful stationed at Craiglockhart in Scotland. The new hospital took ove the health spa which previously served the upper classes who needed a rest cure. Its two prominent physicians, Dr. Rivers and Dr. Brock followed a number of Sigmund Freud's therapy methods--using dream analysis and "talk therapy" as primary responses to the nervous tremors, intense nightmares, and psychosomatic conditions brought on by the men's experiences. Rivers and Brock varied in their additional therapies, however. Brock favored activity and work for rehabilitation--assigning patients to schedules full of athletic activities, gardening, tending to the chickens which provided eggs, etc. Rivers favored intellectual and artistic activities and encouraged the patients in the establishment of a hospital newsletter which featured poetry, stories, jokes, and the like written by the patients themselves as well as musical evenings, theatricals, and debates.

When Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon arrived at Craiglockhart, they each were assigned to precisely the right doctor. Sassoon benefited from intellectual talks with Rivers while Owen found help in the physical activities assigned by Brock. But each man found solace in the rejuvenating power of poetry. They also benefited from the friendship which grew between them during their stay at the hospital. Sassoon initially served as mentor to the younger man, but he soon realized that Owen was a powerful poet in his own right and the two men encouraged each other and served as critics. Their stories make a persuasive case for the power of literary/artistic pursuits for therapeutic purposes.

The narrative includes the differences between how officers and enlisted men were treated. Officers suffering from mental fatigue were sent to hospitals such as Craiglockhart. Enlisted men were lucky if they received any therapy at all for their shell shock. Most were promptly sent back to the front...or if their nervousness and inability to fight were too severe, they might be shot for cowardice or disobeying orders. Glass also highlights the unsettling story of doctors whose goal is to heal the broken--whether in body, spirit, or mind--only to certify them fit to return to bloody battlefield where they may be broken again...or worse. Doctors who may well agree with the men they work with that the war is unjust or being fought for the wrong reasons, but who nevertheless must send them back to fight again.

An insightful work, that taught me a great deal about the treatment of shell shock victims in WWI. This was particularly interesting to me because of my love for the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries written by Dorothy L. Sayers. Not that I doubted Sayers' representation of Lord Peter's experiences with the after-effects of war, but it was good to see how well she did represent shell shock. One wonders if she knew of Craiglockhart and if she did why she didn't use it as part of Lord Peter's story. As Major Wimsey, he most definitely would have been eligible to be sent there. Of course, then his nervous reactions in several of the stories might not have been the same--if treatment had been successful.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Julie Stielstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, readable portrait of, well, a number of things. For those familiar with Pat Barker's Regeneration or the film version of it (released under the title Behind the Lines), this book will provide more detail on the Scottish hospital called Craiglockhart, where British officers suffering from "shell shock" were sent to recover, primarily in order to be sent back to the front in the nightmare that was WWI. Charles Glass introduces us to the hospital itself, to the psychiatric approaches of the time and their practitioners (notably William Halse Rivers and A.J. Brock), and to two of its most famous patients, poets Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen (there are others as well, with compelling stories worth telling). It was early in the adoption of "talk therapy," where the men reeling from unspeakable trauma, terror, and violence were encouraged not to avoid it or be distracted from it, but rather to be safely guided into remembering, facing, and processing what had happened to them. Rivers was a sympathetic father figure and he and Sassoon, already an established poet, had long, intense conversations. Brock worked with Owen, encouraging the shy, self-effacing young man to get out and about, run the hospital magazine, help tutor kids, be active and explore his poetry. His four-plus months at Craiglockhart - with the encouragement of Sassoon - set Owen on the road to blooming into the finest poet of that hideous war... until he was killed a few days before the Armistice.

It's an excellent character study of these two poets: Sassoon patrician, wealthy, fox-hunting, golfing, and hobnobbing with many friends in high places, with plenty of self-regard. He was also reckless, arrogant, unwilling to mix with his fellow inmates in "Dottyville," with very strong opinions about everything and dramatic ways of expressing them. The physically slight Owen, with a slight stammer and a modest family background, approached him with reverence as a deep-dyed fan, seeking his advice and mentorship, which Sassoon carelessly tolerated - until he recognized Owen's stunning gifts, and unbent enough to support and encourage him. Sassoon poems are bitter and fine; Owen's are immortal - see Sean Bean deliver The Last Laugh if you don't believe me.

Thoroughly researched, with generous acknowledgements and citations, the book unfortunately lacks an actual bibliography. Readers who might want to read more have to plow through the page-by-page references in the back to identify sources of interest. Crisply written, vivid, and moving - a worthy addition to the WWI war poet literature and then some.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A special thanks to Penguin Press for an early gifted copy.

This book takes a look at effects and massive ramifications of the new industrial warfare brought on in WWI, not just in sheer numbers of destruction, but on the human psyche. There is a focus put on the artists and poets of this time, as their expression and art are some of the most tragically honest representations of the soldiers experience down in the trenches of the front line.

Specifically we follow Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, but there are a plethora of other poets and historical figures in general that are mentioned throughout the book. If you are not familiar with reading too many historical texts, there are a lot of names, dates, battles, etc. but honestly the integrity of the message remains even if you don’t catch and retain all the details.

I will readily admit that poetry is not my strong suit, so perhaps the level of craftsmanship was lost on me with the many excerpts of poetry throughout the book, but that didn’t take away from my appreciation of them and the authors that wrote them.

I went into this one curious, but not nearly expecting to get as invested as I did. There’s always something humbling about being brought down to the detail of the brutalities of war because it’s almost standard to feel a sort of distanced apathy when you’re not in it. This book explores a lot of the complexities of WWI explored and I definitely think it is worth the read!

[Forest Ormes · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author used the poems and letters of the poet-soldiers, Siefred Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, to tell us the story of this time in their lives. Their psychiatric treatment is revealed in their letters and work. Fate has given us two poets whose poetry we might not have read if they had been assigned different psychiatrists. Owen to Dr. Brock who encouraged his poetry and a social life which connected him with Sassoon and other poets. Sassoon with Dr. Rivers who accepted the former as quite sane in an insane war. The first 60 pages of the book, in reviewing the two psychiatrists and their treatment of other patients, gives us an understanding of their approach. The activities at the facility where they were treated -- Craiglockhart -- tugs at our patience at times, but never for longer than necessary to offer us a backdrop to the poets' lives. Owen involved himself in the facility's activities, Sassoon remained aloof. Glass does a fine job of describing Owen's growth as a poet through the support and input of Sassoon, and later Graves. Wilfred's tragic death a week before the end of the war is all the more poignant as a result.

[AtomicBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was interested in reading this book when I received the invite for a number of reasons firstly because my husband has PTSD so it appealed to me to learn a bit more about the history of this condition but also I’ve had an interest in these war poets ever since reading Pat Barker’s Regeneration Trilolgy. This book didn’t disappoint. The history and development of PTSD and how it was viewed by the military is really interesting, along with the history of Siegfried Sasson and Wilfred Owen’s own history during the First World War is incredibly well researched. The book is a work of non fiction but it still manages to have a rhythm about it that makes it an accessible read despite the subject being quite hard going at times.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so well written, it went fast, slowed only by the amount of poetry included. Several times I got pretty sad and had to stop, though - a war that wasted so many lives - Sassoon the pacifist-hero, and Owens, who wished to emulate Sassoon's heroics, along with several other poets and artists getting treated at the Craiglockhart facility. The discussion of how carefully shell-shock was treated there, knowing that outside, some soldiers were being executed for cowardice or desertion, while some, ignorant of war, were walking around thrusting white feathers at soldiers in mental trouble. It's a lot of excellent primary source material in a journalist's compelling tone with excellent photos to illustrate, in a way, the best of this war.

[Mindy Greiling · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great research on a fascinating topic, but a missed opportunity to bring it to life. The plentiful poetry storyline was a distraction. The main characters were sacrificed to a barrage of unmemorable understudies. Needs more setting, the part of stories that engages emotions.
I was glad, however, to learn about the treatment of shell-shocked soldiers during World War I.

[J Fearnley · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Thoroughly researched and lucidly written, this is an immersive look at the healing power of art and a forceful indictment of the inhumanity of war’
Publisher’s Weekly

“What Mr. Sassoon has felt to be the most sordid and horrible experiences in the world he makes us feel to be so in a measure which no other poet of the war has achieved.”Virginia Woolf, The Times Literary Supplement

My thoughts

On the 11th November each year we remember the those who have fought and died in battles and wars particularly those who fought with the allies (British, Commonwealth, American some European countries) but more and more it is becoming not just a remembrance of them but also of the enemy countries whose individual lives were lost. The 11th November is the date that the First World War (WWI) – the Great War, the War to end all wars – was finally ended and an armistice was declared.

Soldier’s Don’t Go Mad by Charles Glass is a very poignant reminder of why we should continue to remember the fallen, those who fought and died, but also those who fought and returned particularly those who returned broken either physically, disabled from their injuries, or mentally, disabled from what they saw, what they lived through but no longer could reconcile in their minds.

It is this latter group of men and specifically the officers of WWI who passed through Craiglockhart War Hospital that Charles Glass has taken to demonstrate the effects of war on the minds of those who fought and how through the work at this facility by its doctors brought about a greater understanding and better treatment of these men.

Where are the men, the ordinary soldiers, sailors and airmen in this? Well we are in no doubt from this book that they were treated in a completely different manner if indeed they were treated at all it was very badly and sent back to the front, put in a lunatic asylum or taken as cowards and shot. This also happened to some officers but they, at least, had a chance of being sent to hospitals with better facilities and doctors who had some understanding of what was generally termed as ‘shell shock’ and a shining example was Craiglockhart situated near Edinburgh.

The book opens with a series of statistics showing the number of men and these were young men we must remember who died in battle – cannon fodder – who died in the battles of WWI – Ypres, the Somme and more. We move on to vignettes of what took place, the stories of what a number of men who were treated at Craiglockhart went through which brought them back to be treated there. They are – the numbers and the stories – harrowing to read but this is an important record, a reminder, to those of us who were not there of what went on.

It is no surprise on reading this that there would be those who would object to returning to such horror, that there were those who could not contemplate fighting at all (conscientious objectors were given non-combatant work or worse).

Then we read that two, indeed more than two, poets were treated at Craiglockhart but most importantly – Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen. Sassoon was older and a more established poet who was from a well to do background; Owen younger, an emerging poet and from a more modest background. Yet they became friends. Sassoon saw the potential in Owen but by the time they both had left Craiglockhart has bonded over their mutual love of poetry. Their friendship and poetry was as much a part of their treatment as their sessions with their doctors who actively supported these alongside physical therapy and recounting their dreams, feelings and experiences from battle and the past.

They had ended up in Craiglockhart from different directions. Sassoon was refusing to return to a war that he believed was being manipulated by politicians and others for political or economic gain. Because of his connections and background the Military preferred to consider him unfit for duty due to a breakdown than subject themselves to a court martial against Sassoon that would have been at least embarrassing and potentially worse with regard to showing the general public what was actually happening.

Owen on the other hand was sent there entirely due to injury and the telltale signs of shell shock from his experience in the trenches and fields of battle.

Craiglockhart had the best performance of all the similar facilities in the U.K. with just under 50% as compared to facilities that still used treatments such as electric shock therapy whose performance was, it seems, under 10%.

We must not forget that even these forward thinking and cutting edge treatments were still being used in order to get these men back to the battlefield (not forgetting the sea and air). To fix them in order to return them to the very conditions that brought them back in the first place!

Sassoon returned to the front for a while after serving in Ireland and Egypt he was strangely eager to return to battle but was unable to carry on and after being diagnosed with fatigue was sent to Craiglockhart were he was assigned to Lennel, a house in Scotland used as part of the Craiglockhart War Hospital, to rest.

Owen was also sent back to the front were he fought valiantly to the end. In a letter replying to Siegfried Sassoon who was convalescing at Lennel Owen wrote:

“While you were apparently given over to wrens, I have found brave companionship in a poppy, behind whose stalk I took cover from five machine guns and several howitzers.”Wilfred Owen, 10 October 1918

Both these men had received the Military Cross during the war.

Soldiers Don’t Go Mad by Charles Glass is an important and impactful book which I found to be well worth reading. The information is well researched and brings together through statistical information, the telling of real life experiences and the determination of the doctors and patients at Craiglockhart what the treatment of those with shell shock could and should be even when the establishment had very little time for it they demonstrated that they were capable of treating, often completely, the mental illnesses brought on from being exposed to the conditions of battle. That improvement in the treatment, conditions and understanding of PTSD as we now call it and in mental health generally for the armed services and beyond is a testament to Craiglockhart and its doctors.

This book was a sobering yet fascinating and compelling. I hope that it will be a book that students and readers will use to learn and understand about poetry and how it can be used to help people work through their experiences in trauma; the leaps and bounds that mental health treatment and understanding has come on in the last hundred years or so, although there is still more needed. It is a book that should be used as a tool to teach about mental health issues, about how we should always give support to men (and women) in the services indeed everyone, everywhere suffering from mental illness. Not forgetting about the importance of poetry (of art and writing, too) and of friendship which often gives us the greatest support.

This is a very readable book and one that the author has written in very difficult circumstances that I would highly recommend reading.

Thanks

Many thanks to Grace for the invite to join this fascinating BlogTour and to the publisher Bedford Square for an eCopy of Soldiers Don’t Go Mad by Charles Glass.

[Danny Jarvis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story of one of the first attempts of a western army addressing and making efforts to help veterans suffering from PTSD (shell shock) in WWI. The horrors of the first modern war created such a (justified) spike in these cases the leadership was forced to take action, albeit more focused on returning soldiers to combat status rather than primarily focusing on fully curing the individuals.

In a time where conventional belief that sufferers of ptsd were malingerers and many (306 according to the book) were executed for “cowardice” or “desertion”, it was a radically needed course-correction for a nationally accepted way of thinking. Several of those treated just happened to become nationally renowned poets who were certifiable combat heroes turned antiwar voices and this is their story.

The book goes a little too at length with some of the lesser relevant persons in the story which detracts from it and caused me to lose focus occasionally. However, the main points of the book are striking. The disparity between the treatment of officers and enlisted is overtly addressed, as well as the contrasted opinions of the war between the drum-beating hawk politicians/civilians/generals and the men in the trenches. Additionally, it portrays the struggle of those receiving treatment and how their opposition to the war (whatever the reason), paired with their reprieve from it for treatment, caused more internal conflict and guilt as they were aware fellow countrymen continued to fight while they were in the rear.

Overall, the book makes the reader appreciate the advances psychiatry and society have made in the last century, even if the differing feelings towards war haven’t.

[☄ · Rating 3 out of 5]

very, very well-researched but ultimately not very compelling, which is a shame, given half the dynamic duo of this book is none other than our beloved wilfred owen!!

the entire time i was reading this i kept thinking about how a book should never, ever assume that its reader cares even a mite about the time period it describes--the author's job is to make them care, whether that's thru evocative language, vivid storytelling, etc. glass does not seem to agree! instead of a compelling story we get the Delightful wilfred owen for a few minutes, and then absolute reams of dispassionately written military history that even i, as someone interested in the war, had to slog through with my hip waders on..... disappointing!

i'm begging pop historians to try harder, esp. when the material itself is so fascinating!! that stuff can turn so completely inert in the wrong hands. luckily wilfred positively shines no matter where he finds himself, like a diamond, or a sparkle that can't be washed off no matter how hard one tries...

[Kailin Richardson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me, a 24-yr-old woman who knows nothing of war, sitting in her cozy apartment reading for several hours about a sweet besotted poet gaining confidence through his growing relationship with his dear poet-mentor and friend; and a stubborn, brash anti-war poet who believes his mental state is just fine despite his insistence that he go back to the front to die for the friends he lost: "My children, my babies, my loves 🥺"

To illustrate, an actual letter exchange between these two nerds:

Sassoon: "A golden-crested wren flew into the room and onto my pillow today."

Owen: "While you were hanging out with the wren, I became friends with a poppy I hid behind from machine guns."

Basically a confession of love, tbh. I adore them. Good thing the occasional tearing up blinded me from the boredom of ongoing lengthy updates about cricket matches.

Anyways, time to plan my trip to Craiglockhart.

[Meghan Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Soldiers Don’t Go Mad by Charles Glass is an extraordinary and deeply moving account of the psychological toll of the First World War, blending history, literature, and human resilience. Through the stories of soldiers who endured the horrors of the trenches and sought solace in poetry and camaraderie, Glass paints a compelling portrait of mental illness in wartime—a subject often overlooked in traditional military histories.

The book is meticulously researched and beautifully written, bringing to life the experiences of men who found both suffering and salvation in each other. The exploration of war trauma and early psychiatric treatments is both harrowing and enlightening, making this an essential read for anyone interested in military history, psychology, or the enduring power of brotherhood.

Glass’s storytelling is immersive, his prose elegant, and his insight profound. Soldiers Don’t Go Mad is not just a history book—it’s a tribute to the human spirit. A must-read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[James Callender · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really nicely written, covers lots of ground and interweaves Owen and Sassoon’s lives, how the war affected them and poetry very nicely. I’d suggest the section on Craiglockhart after the main characters have all left could have been left out. However, a very engrossing read.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This history of the Craiglockhart from 1914 is that of a Hydro transformed into a mental hospital … its most famous inmates were Siegfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen, both young officers, who also became famed for their war poetry … although both returned to the Western Front pronounced cured of their “shell shock,” Owen was still in combat just prior to the Armistice …
by Siegfried Sassoon
by Wilfred Owen

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach both Sassoon's and Owen's poems as part of my war unit, and have been interested in knowing more about their time at Craiglockhart Hospital in 1917. This book did the job--meticulously researched and well recreated scenes make their relationship's parameters come alive. I can't help but feel even more put off by SS's snobbery and sense of superiority to Wilfred, clearly his junior in every way, as well as an eager acolyte. Sassoon, who survived the war, was clearly more vanquished by it than Owen, who perished 5 days before the armistice, was. As the final passage in the book indicates, Owen was a success of Craiglockart, and for him, the outcome was death. Conversely. Sassoon was in and out of the facility, never reconciling for himself his dual need to be a warrior and a pacifist. For him, the hospital's failure to "cure" him meant life... in Owen's words, "the pity of war."

[Kristi · Rating 4 out of 5]

************* Also a warning if you do not want to know how the stories of Owen and Sassoon end, do not look at the photographs before reading the book.************** Two factors in my own life led me to be very interested in the WWI treatment of "shell shock". My graduate training was in clinical psychology and I taught at the college level for more than 30 years. Secondly I am an incest survivor who buried the sexual abuse of both of my adopted parents deeply into my mind in order to survive. I became a committed alcoholic for self-anesthetization ( now have 39 years of sobriety ) and had to do decades of what I sometimes call "personal archeology" to reveal my history and learn to heal. I will never be without the effects of this profound abuse, will deal with PTSD and clinical depression all my life, but can say that at 75 I am largely happier than I have ever been despite the physical aspects of aging................ I was very happy to read that the main psychiatrists at Craiglockhart did NOT practice in the manner of many hospitals of the time which used shock treatments, including electrical stimulation, cold water baths and drug induced comas. They believed in the theories of Sigmund Freud which acknowledged that a successful treatment did not aim at simply removing the symptoms, e.g. paralysis, stuttering, nightmares, blindness, but helping to alleviate the pain from the underlying trauma that led to neuresthenia ( PTSD did not exist as a diagnosis ). They used talk therapy and occasionally hypnosis to find the horrible events that had broken these men. ***** Note that all the WWI soldiers being treated at this clinic were officers. Enlisted men were not so fortunate. According to various sources 266 British soldiers ( this includes Commonwealth men ) were shot for desertion, 18 for cowardice, 7 for quitting a post without authority, 6 for striking or using physical violence toward a superior officer, 6 for disobedience of a lawful command, 3 for mutiny, 2 for falling asleep at their post, and 2 for casting away arms. I could not find out the ranks of those executed, but how many do you think were officers??? From the Guardian: We shall not remember them. We shall not remember Herbert Morrison, who was the youngest soldier in the West India Regiment when he was led in front of the firing squad and gunned down for desertion. A 'coward' at just 17. We shall not remember the moment when Gertrude Farr went to the local post office in 1916 and was told: 'We don't give pensions to the widows of cowards.' She was left destitute, with a three-year-old and a four-month-old to feed. We shall not remember the poor soldier who confessed: 'I haven't been the same since I scraped my best friend's brains from my face.' He, too, was shot at dawn. How many of these men and boys were suffering from battle fatigue???? ****** In addition to talk therapy ( which was practiced face-to-face, not as that done by Freud where the patient would lie upon a couch unable to see the doctor ) , one particular doctor stressed the importance of productive activities such as helping with harvests, teaching young people, gardening and others. Vigorous physical and mental activities were stressed from early morning swims, writing poetry, performing music, acting in plays, and publishing a hospital newspaper. ( I developed differing opinions about Seigfried Sassoon and Wilfred Owen partially based upon the fact that the former treated his hospital stay as a free vacation while Owen taught classes, published the magazine and generally participated in any activities recommend by the physicians to help him heal his mind. More later. ) The physicians stressed abreaction: the expression and consequent release of a previously repressed emotion, achieved through reliving the experience that caused it. Because one of the most frequently observed symptoms involved nightmares, dream interpretation was also an important treatment. Anyone who has suffered a profound trauma can learn that talking about the event can help discharge the emotion attached to it and lessen psychic pain. Sadly the treatment notes of the doctors were lost. This was the greatest disappointment for me because as a psychologist I wanted to know as much as possible about therapeutic interventions. There was disagreement among doctors as to whether those who "broke down" under war conditions had histories of previous illness or trauma. ( Personally I think any man or boy serving in the conditions of the WWI trenches could suffer "shell shock" even with a perfect personal history.) ( Although understanding of battle fatigue was better during WWII, never forget that General George Patton slapped a soldier in the hospital and called him a coward. The stigma of blaming the sufferer of PTSD with cowardice had never completely gone away. ) Strictly a personal opinion: I think the 4 years of trench warfare with horrible physical conditions ( rats, lice, starvation, trench foot ), heavy bombardments, gas attacks and then having to "go over the top" to charge across an open field at machine guns and other artillary to gain 100 yards of pointless ground should have driven every man around the bend. I read extensively about WWII and in no way wish to diminish the traumas of that war, but I liken the "over the top" charges of WWI to the Banzai Japanese charges which were a way to ensure an honorable death in battle - a suicide charge. Many WWII soldiers were psychologically damaged because of these actions which made no sense to them. The GI's wanted to live if possible. The Germans in WWI gave their opposition the title of cannon fodder. Enter Wilfred Owen. His greatest trauma involved the body of a friend, torn to pieces and covered with maggots. Not surprisingly he had trembling and faulty memory. He arrived at Craiglockhart on June 26, 1917. Siegfried Sassoon arrived on July 23rd. The latter was called "Mad Jack" for his seemingly fearless exploits in no man's land. Sassoon refused to return to duty as a "protest" against the war. He steadfastly maintained he was not suffering from any psychological damage and actually looked down upon fellow patients as cowards. ( My personal opinion is that the unreasonable risk-taking behavior of "Mad Jack" was probably a psychological reaction to the hell of the war. If you no longer care whether you live or die, or if death would be welcome, this can be another form of "shell shock". Denial is not just a river in Egypt. I think he doth protest too much.... ) Quote from Sassoon: "During my second month at the hydro I began to feel a sense of humiliation.... Sometimes I had an uncomfortable notion that none of them ( fellow patienrs ) respected one another; it was as thouth there were a tacit undertanding that we were all failures; and this made me want to reassure myself that I was not the same as the others." He refused to participate in any of the hospital activities and basically had a free vacation in Edinburgh and its surroundings plus playing golf. One of Sassoon's poems is particularly significant to me: " Love drove me to rebel. Love drives me to grope with them through hell. And in their tortured eyes I stand forgiven." Both men ultimately return to the war, Owen as suffiently healed to serve and Sassoon as a former pacifist who renounced his "cause" and asked to return to service. He expressed the sentiment "Getting nearer the line is working me up to a climax. Same feeling of confidence and freedom from worry." Then in a letter to another friend he wonders whether he wanted to die. More "Mad Jack" behaviors. Sleep became impossible. On August 17, 1918 Sassoon returned to the hospital. The medical board stated that though he had no extrnal symptoms of shell shock ( trembling, mutism, blindness, he was "clearly shattered". Wilfred fought with great bravery, was awarded the Military Cross, and died in battle on November 4, 1918 - one week before the Armistice. ( As an excellent idea for future care of American troops who had not yet arrived in the European war, a psychiatrist was sent to Craiglockhart to learn from the doctors there. ) Although the book did not have the therapeutic content that I most wanted to see, I would highly recommend this book. I suppose I should be more empathethic with Sassoon as he was clearly damaged psychologically, but could not admit to his vulnerability. Kristi & Abby Tabby The Parable of the Old Man and the Young’.

When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him. Behold,
A ram, caught in a thicket by its horns;
Offer the Ram of Pride instead of him.
But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one … 908,371 British soldiers died in WWI, 2,090,212 were wounded. 191,652 listed as prisoners and missing 3,190,235 total casualties - ONE BY ONE. France: 1,357,800 died 4,266,000 wounded 537,000 missing or prisoners 6,160,800 total casualties. THE WAR TO END ALL WARS....

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful, visceral, brilliantly informative account of the unbearable horrors faced by WW1 soldiers exploring the emergence and evolution of treatment for what we now refer to as PTSD. It’s steeped in history and perfectly encapsulates the strength and fragility of the human spirit in the darkest of times.

Glass offers a searingly honest, raw insight through personal accounts and heartbreaking stories of the soldiers we meet. The disinformation, propaganda and glorifying of war that was prevalent prior to its commencement meant soldiers were ill prepared for the atrocities they faced. No one was prepared for the effects of modern warfare and the physical and mental trauma inflicted or witnessed, leaving lives forever altered.

The incredible writing examines how dangerously unprepared the country was in dealing with the mental fallout of war. The appalling treatment endured by soldiers suffering from mental trauma is inconceivable. Craiglockhart’s set up couldn’t come soon enough and with the help of the talented and empathetic psychiatrists pioneering treatment was developed to help restore good well-being. Although, not everyone could be helped and it’s difficult knowing that once the men were deemed fit for service most will be pushed back to endure the horrors that led them there in the first place.

We see the power of art as the soldiers utilise writing to share their experiences and try to work through their trauma. Glass pens a fascinating insight of war viewed through a literary lens. The poetry included, diary entries and personal letters written by the soldiers highlights the stark realities of war and the camaraderie and friendships that sustain and devastate.

Sassoon and Owen’s moving war poetry has always stuck with me. It’s brilliant to have such an in-depth look at their lives – the tragic events that brought them together, the meaningful connection forged, and getting to know the men behind the words. The excellent research gives an authentic account that’s emotional, engaging and impactful. The more I discovered, the harder it was to put the book down!

Soldiers Don’t Go Mad offers much food for thought. It’s an important read raising many questions that are still relevant today. It’s a gripping and eye-opening read, I highly recommend.

With thanks to @GracePublicity and @bedsqpublishers for the opportunity to read this book and share my thoughts.

[Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. Almost entirely derived from the letters and papers of the soldiers and doctors of Craiglockhart, this is the account of mental health that World War I era history has needed for quite some time. In such a way that emphasizes the relationships between the men in question, Glass paints a portrait of the society that emerged following the armistice, the art that preserved unspeakable horrors, and the political questions that arose from an unprecedented global conflict.

Though primarily focused on Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon, Glass provides important historical context through primary sources where available, including from Dr. Rivers of Craiglockhart, poet and activist Max Plowman, and more. Woven throughout these narratives is the reminder that documentation from enlisted men does not exist because these men were not treated for "shell shock." Thus, an entire class perspective does not exist in WWI documentation.

Touching and heartbreaking, I haven't read a nonfiction book that has so deeply moved me in quite some time. The poems included are only a sampling of a larger collection that give a firsthand account of a war that was once thought to be the final war. An excellent read for those ruminating on class, global conflict, and what it means to be for or against peace.

[Scott Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of how mental illness/PTSD was treated during World War I. While the stories of the key poets Owen and Sassoon are well-known, and their stay at the revolutionary facility to try to deal with “battle fatigue/shell shock”, this work looks at that in the context of explain how militaries tried to come to grips with the mental and psychological wounds of war. Much has changed in the 100 years since World War I, but the concepts of PTSD and war’s internal wounds is still a difficult subject to broach. This work doesn’t completely fall into the trap of applying current values into the historical narrative, but that context is available for the reader to offer perspective on this analysis.

If there is a complaint about the work, it is how the conclusion just sort of abruptly stops with the end of the war and a line or two about the lack of treatment options. Probably could have expanded a little more on that aspect. Still, an overall solid work and worth the read.

[Chris Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I noticed this on the library's new non-fiction shelf and thought it sounded interesting. I'll admit I only skimmed the last half of the book. The history of the diagnosis and treatments of shell shock (aka battle fatigue or PTSD) was quite interesting although a bit vague when talking about the actual treatments. World War I has always fascinated me and the details of the horrors on the front were compelling but seemed to be delivered very unemotionally and factually; since these experiences were the trigger to the mental illness that resulted in analysis, I expected a more emotional and personal recounting of those experiences. The whole book seemed a little rambling and disjointed at times; a spilling of facts as discovered during the research. I kept my rating to 2 stars (instead of 1 which I usually give to a book I don't finish) because it seemed like a very well-researched book on an interesting topic but didn't quite keep my interest to thoroughly read to the end.

[Joann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glass has taken an incredibly difficult subject and presented it so the reader will never forget the horrors of WWI. “Shell shock” was a new diagnosis and the doctors who treated the men for it at this time were commendable. It is hard to imagine the effects of combat on the soldiers and even how the doctors would begin to heal them. There is a lot of information about important poets of this time, Sassoon and Owen among others, which added depth to the account. So many artists died in this war. What a tragedy.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated review: I read this a year ago and have thought abt it so much since. It’s been hugely helpful in teaching Brit Lit but also personally compelling and professionally informative in other ways. Updating from 4 to 5 stars.

Original May 2024 review:

Highly readable and well-researched, which is a delicate combo. It made me fall head over heels with Wilfred Owen but a bit out of love with Sassoon, sadly. I’d recommend this to anyone interested in history, poetry, or mental health. Very glad I read it.

[Celia Morse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very readable history of the treatment of shell shock during World War One at a Scottish hospital where two of the greatest British war poets were treated and developed a friendship. Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon supported each other and their writing. Sassoon, already an established poet, helped Owen find a publisher and an audience for his work. Both men overcame illness and returned to the front, and Owen's death at the end of the war is unbearably sad.