Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Johnny Got His Gun

Unlike other anti-war books, Johnny Got His Gun focuses less on the happenings of war but rather on the logistics of it, on life before and after, and it seeks to humanize soldiers by bringing light to their individual experience in a haunting, staggering way. As American people, this glorified image of fighting for honor and patriotism is shoved down our throats. Trumbo tears these ideas away from the reader in turn for a reality, in which is glaring and gory and brutal and unforgettable. That reality is simply war.

I've seen this book face criticism for being, in every sense, a ramble. I think that's what makes it so real. With the minimal punctuation, you run through sentence after sentence and naturally they begin to take on this great sense of urgency and panic. It's a genius way to place the reader in Joe Bonham's shoes (or lack thereof). I'm amazed at Dalton Trumbo's ability to somehow write 250 pages of nothing but the inner thoughts of the protagonist, and for a wide span of the book, with little to no action except his memories. You're supposed to get bored. You're supposed to fumble. You're supposed to feel what Joe feels, trapped in this something that is nothing. All he has are his thoughts, and you get no further insight than he does. It's intimate and chillingly personal.

Taking it as it is, the morbid theme of this book is what makes it so striking. You're forced to imagine the unimaginable. Unlike other books which I'd say are not worth their shock factor, Johnny Got His Gun is. I want to force it into the hands of men who dream of going to war for glory, for patriotism, for a fight they know nothing of, for rhetorics no one can grasp.

"There's no word worth your life.... Nothing is bigger than life. There's nothing noble in death." — pg. 137.

TL;DR - read this book.

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xvicesx's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

A deeply moving descent into madness, showing human ingenuity in the face of untold adversity, though ultimately grim in the way it wraps up. I'm not sure it's the kind of book you'd read over and over again, but definitely the kind of book you want to read before you go off to war for glory.

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goemonxiii's review against another edition

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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? It's complicated

4.25

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.

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coolfoolmoon's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book was mentioned by one of my film professors in our class about the Hollywood blacklist era and I'm so glad I remembered it. You can see why HUAC hated his ass he was a genius!

The audiobook was performed so well but also the intro from the mom really made me emotional. Then I was like fuck this book is gonna fuck me up too isn't it? And then it did. I didn't cry but you really feel every emotion. A book that can truly be universally understood.

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add_a_little_spook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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draven_deathcrush's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This is now one of my favorite books of all time. It's so good, and everyone should read it!!

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christmaskid's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

This is a difficult read to give a numbered rating. The narrative is difficult to follow in places because it drifts in and out of dream states between past, present, reality and dream. However: a very necessary read when historical context is taken into account as well as the way the novel holds itself today - ‘you point the way and we will point the way.’ Beautiful prose forges a powerful anti war message, especially in Trumbo’s forward and his last few pages

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kj_1429's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad

3.0

Just read All Quiet on the Western Front instead

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