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drkottke's review against another edition
5.0
Egads! Is there a more painful and heartfelt anti-war novel out there? Although set after WWI, Joe Bonham's story is as relevant today as at any point in American history - if not more so, given the state of modern medicine that allows many more soldiers who would have perished from their injuries in prior eras to survive (see the Joe Bonham Project for proof of the novel's continuing relevance at http://joebonhamproject.blogspot.com/). The edition I read had a forward by Cindy Sheehan and an introduction by Ron Kovic, both of which were startling complements to this powerful novel (as, of course, is Metallica's "One").
mgreer56's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
3.75
tonasol05's review against another edition
5.0
Chilling all the way through. One of the few books that have managed to fully inmerse me in the character's struggle. Will definetely read it again.
iibb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bigenk's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Truly remarkable and unlike anything I have ever read before. This is stream of consciousness style (devoid of a single comma) perspective of a World War I veteran who awakens in a hospital after he is hit with a mortar shell to find that he is both a quadruple amputee and missing all of his major sense except for touch. Joe's brain is fully functional, but he is locked into body that can merely roll around on the table, fully reliant on others for all of his needs. It's a terrifying prospect, and Joe is prone to bouts of psychosis, suicidal ideation, and raw animalistic panic as he comes to terms with his new reality. Between periods of lucid exploration of the present, Joe reminisces about the life that he had before his injury and the war that caused it. We get to know how he ended up as a doughboy in the trenches, what he left behind and what his dreams were. Though this is categorized as fiction, Joe is based on a real life veteran of the war who experienced much the same thing.
It is both riveting and horrific. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in the course of twenty four hours, simultaneous repelled by the graphic representation of misery yet unable to stop myself from reading more. Sort of in the same vein as a car crash, there is a level of voyeuristic interest that propels the novel forward. There's hardly a plot to speak of really, just Joe discovering his limits, regaining a sense of time and his surrounding over time through the smallest indicators, like the subtle change in temperature on his skin.
Johnny Got His Gun is a purely pacifistic novel. Trumbo doesn't waste time by going into the minutia of the war, instead he rejects the notion of war wholesale as unconscionable. Anything is better than death. Nothing can possibly justify war, nothing is worth losing your life over. Especially when what you're fighting for is abstract ideas like democracy, freedom, or other moral values. Especially when who you're fighting for is the politicians that have made decisions for you, who tell you that your death is worthwhile. No idea, no government, no ideology is worth dying for, because death is the worst thing that can possibly happen to you.
Ironically, Johnny Got His Gun was picked up by the American right-wing, pro-nazi isolationists as a text through which they forwarded their movement to stop America from getting involved in World War II. This is especially funny considering that Trumbo was member of the American-communist party, and was blacklisted from Hollywood in the 1940's and 50's, though apparently was also an isolationist that supported the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Johnny Got His Gun has some similarities to works like Nineteen Eighty-Four, where parties across the political spectrum claim ownership of the text and use it as a support to their values.
It is both riveting and horrific. I had a hard time putting it down and finished it in the course of twenty four hours, simultaneous repelled by the graphic representation of misery yet unable to stop myself from reading more. Sort of in the same vein as a car crash, there is a level of voyeuristic interest that propels the novel forward. There's hardly a plot to speak of really, just Joe discovering his limits, regaining a sense of time and his surrounding over time through the smallest indicators, like the subtle change in temperature on his skin.
Johnny Got His Gun is a purely pacifistic novel. Trumbo doesn't waste time by going into the minutia of the war, instead he rejects the notion of war wholesale as unconscionable. Anything is better than death. Nothing can possibly justify war, nothing is worth losing your life over. Especially when what you're fighting for is abstract ideas like democracy, freedom, or other moral values. Especially when who you're fighting for is the politicians that have made decisions for you, who tell you that your death is worthwhile. No idea, no government, no ideology is worth dying for, because death is the worst thing that can possibly happen to you.
Ironically, Johnny Got His Gun was picked up by the American right-wing, pro-nazi isolationists as a text through which they forwarded their movement to stop America from getting involved in World War II. This is especially funny considering that Trumbo was member of the American-communist party, and was blacklisted from Hollywood in the 1940's and 50's, though apparently was also an isolationist that supported the Nazi-Soviet Pact. Johnny Got His Gun has some similarities to works like Nineteen Eighty-Four, where parties across the political spectrum claim ownership of the text and use it as a support to their values.
contra_reads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As haunting now as I’m sure it was 85 years ago
euphoric_rambles's review against another edition
5.0
The summary of this book is so simple: Joe, an infantryman in the US army during WWI is hit by a mortar shell, losing his arms, legs, and much of his face. He cannot communicate, hear, see, or smell, but finds that his mental faculties are all present and accounted for. When I read that I frankly thought this must be a short story because well, what more could you have to say? Apparently it was a lot. And oh my gosh did it work well.
We see Joe's life now and before spliced through his experience of realizing he first has a lost an arm, then both arms, and then both legs. The descriptions of Joe trying to sense where and what is happening to him, and around him is startingly written and well-paced this reads more like an intense thriller than anything else.
There are chapters that are repetitious words or phrases from Joe (like: Mama they took my arm my arm momma my arm). But they work so well to provide the reader with ample understanding of what Joe is feeling, how he's interacting with the world, and his mental status.
I absolutely loved the section where Joe was starting to map out time; it was described so viscerally and with such hope that you expect some kind of resolution or happy ending.
The ending:
Two associated notes:
My copy opened with a note from a mother (Cindy Sheehan) who's son Casey was killed in Afghanistan. I found her introduction extremely moving as she sympathizes and questions what Joe's mother must think. Was she told Joe is MIA? Or that he's dead? Does she--like Cindy; hope that even though she's been told her son is dead, that he might come home? That they made a mistake? This is agonizing in just a few short pages in the 2004 paperback edition.
Second, I had no idea that Metallica's 'One' was based on this book and even uses clips of the movie. Fun fact, in order to not pay royals on the film Metallica just bought the Johnny film to use at concerts. I don't know if I love that or not, but if more people see it, I'm about it.
I would consider this novel a must read anti-war piece, where the futility and nihilism are on display in spades. Trumbo's writing is so strong and vibrant that it is shockingly easy to read and parse the human at the midst of this story.
We see Joe's life now and before spliced through his experience of realizing he first has a lost an arm, then both arms, and then both legs. The descriptions of Joe trying to sense where and what is happening to him, and around him is startingly written and well-paced this reads more like an intense thriller than anything else.
There are chapters that are repetitious words or phrases from Joe (like: Mama they took my arm my arm momma my arm). But they work so well to provide the reader with ample understanding of what Joe is feeling, how he's interacting with the world, and his mental status.
I absolutely loved the section where Joe was starting to map out time; it was described so viscerally and with such hope that you expect some kind of resolution or happy ending.
The ending:
Spoiler
The ending, my God the ending. Joe develops a way to communicate by banging his head in morse code. It takes some amount of time...perhaps months? for a nurse to understand that the tapping (as he describes it) has a purpose and to find someone else who can attempt to communicate back. Joe's first full communicative chapter with some other human (aside from his internal monologue to the reader) is so painful and visceral. But so poignant. Trumbo's writing is so poetic and agonizing. Of course Joe is lonely! Of course Joe wants to die! But mostly right now he wants to not be alone and go outside to feel the sun. When this is denied he asks to be made an example of this is what war does to us! This is also denied. What's the point? Is this all nihilism and hopelessness? Perhaps, but it's war isn't that largely fruitless?Two associated notes:
My copy opened with a note from a mother (Cindy Sheehan) who's son Casey was killed in Afghanistan. I found her introduction extremely moving as she sympathizes and questions what Joe's mother must think. Was she told Joe is MIA? Or that he's dead? Does she--like Cindy; hope that even though she's been told her son is dead, that he might come home? That they made a mistake? This is agonizing in just a few short pages in the 2004 paperback edition.
Second, I had no idea that Metallica's 'One' was based on this book and even uses clips of the movie. Fun fact, in order to not pay royals on the film Metallica just bought the Johnny film to use at concerts. I don't know if I love that or not, but if more people see it, I'm about it.
I would consider this novel a must read anti-war piece, where the futility and nihilism are on display in spades. Trumbo's writing is so strong and vibrant that it is shockingly easy to read and parse the human at the midst of this story.