Reviews - Johnny Got His Gun

You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.

944 reviews for:

Johnny Got His Gun

Dalton Trumbo

4.18 AVERAGE

guinness74's review against another edition

4.5

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A truly horrifying work that spells out the horrors of war. I did not care for Trumbo’s stream-of-consciousness writing, but I understand its purpose in terms of the main character. And Trumbo certainly gets his point across using Joe Bonham as his example for the terrifying reality of wars. Sure, wars have become a bit more ‘humane,’ I guess, since the WWI setting for this novel. Actually, humane isn’t the right word. Antiseptic, I suppose. But then, I can say that from my safe distance; my privilege, can’t I? Anyway, the worth of this book is compiled into the last couple of chapters. Not that you shouldn’t read it all, but the importance of it is at the end.

Content Warnings

goemonxiii's review against another edition

4.25

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Surprisingly clever for its seemingly narrow premise. The plot goes far beyond its premise of a man with no arms, legs, ears, nose, eyes, or mouth and excels at its purpose of being an anti-war novel. It's perfectly timeless and especially important to read considering the current political tensions in the United States and abroad.

Content Warnings

georgeripp's review against another edition

5.0

Wow what a story.

A man who has been blown up in a mortar attack faces life with no arms, legs, eyes, nose or mouth.

He finds a way to communicate with the doctor and nurses that are keeping him alive for an unknown reason.

Coming to terms with his passion for peace as a replacement for war. He faces many flashbacks of happy times and recalls only good memories instead of those of battlefields and terror.

He refuses to be defined as a soldier, a servant to the state fighting for his country for the title of "pride". Also detests the phrase "coward" to describe someone who doesnt want to attain the badge of honour and pride for someone of a higher status privilege.

We are humans and designed to live and this is a real eye opener. No matter what title you are trying to acheive, it wont make you happy.

I could go on forever how beautiful this story is despite its brutality and tragedy. I think perhaps people are unable to overlook the disturbing aspect of this book to find the core message.

The message I extracted was, honour is all well and good. But it is not worth your life and soul. Physically or emotionally you should not sell your beliefs in order to make other people look at you in the limelight. As soon as that title fades you will be forgotten and left to perish.

Live in peace, love and spread gratitude for what we have today! <3