This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered--not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives.... This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless, and gruesome...but so is war. Johnny Got His Gun holds a place as one of the classic antiwar novels. First published in 1939, Dalton Trumbo's story of a ...
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This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered--not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives.... This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless, and gruesome...but so is war. Johnny Got His Gun holds a place as one of the classic antiwar novels. First published in 1939, Dalton Trumbo's story of a young American soldier terribly maimed in World War I--he "survives" armless, legless, and faceless, but with his mind intact--was an immediate bestseller. This fiercely moving novel was a rallying point for many Americans who came of age during World War II, and it became perhaps the most popular novel of protest during the Vietnam era.
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Johnny Got His Gun is a nearly incredible work. The use of language demands surrender to the world revealed. Entire book inside narrator's head, often unclear if it's a dream, a memory or something happening at the time. The BEST anti-war book I've ever read. One of the US's most overlooked authors. An overwhelming bit of Communist argument - from the viewpoint not of some over-arching political apologist, but from a single, sincere human being. I've been reading nearly constantly for over 60 years, THIS should be on the reading list of every High School. One of the best books in US literature. Bears re-reading again.
Bill W
Sep 5, 2014
Another Ugly Side of War
A timeless first-person narration of a quadruple amputee who persevered and clung to hope despite his inability to communicate. I nearly shelved the book but am glad I finished it.
Airbabu
May 7, 2009
Good read
Interesting storyline, very captivating. This book has stood the test of time, and I can see why.
Louis@HoustonBookClub.com
Jul 10, 2008
Original spin on a soldier's fate
I read this as it was selected by my book club. It's a totally different book than expected. Unlike "All Quiet on the Western Front," "Storm of Steel," etc., this was so introspective and really makes you think.
The writing is original, the flashbacks are good, and I liked the book overall, and thought the length was just about right.
This is not a book from which you learn anything about WWI, but it does teach you about what it might be like to have no limbs, sight, or hearing. This soldier won a medal, and had some feeling caregivers, but other than that, it's a pretty bleak prospect for him.
ARthestrong
Jan 24, 2008
Masterpiece
Could you begin to imagine what it would be like to survive a war as the living dead? If you have ever thought being anti-war "anti-American," this book will change your mind. Enter the mind of one man and go on a minute-by-minute journey with him, if you've got the courage.
