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A review by mattgoldberg
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
5.0
As an anti-war screed designed to hit the reader on an emotional level, I think this is unmatched. Also, it's difficult to argue with any of Trumbo's arguments. We celebrate sending people to war and don't want to look at the consequence.
And for many wars, Trumbo's position holds true. There's no sense to be found in World War I or any other wars, which rely on propaganda to further the interests of various stakeholders and send young men off to battle to suffer and die.
But even in his forward, Trumbo wrestles with what to do with something like World War II. It's difficult to argue that all war must be abolished in the scenario when a madman has designs on world domination and is willing to exterminate anyone who doesn't fall in line. In this instance, war becomes a matter of survival. The problem is that WWII is cloaked in the same rhetoric as all other wars even though all other wars are not WWII.
Reading this, I thought about the major war of my young adult life, the Iraq War, which was utterly senseless and completely by choice. It made no one safer, but it did make certain people a lot of money. But then I think about the War in Ukraine right now, and what choice do Ukrainians have in the matter? Are they supposed to give up their country because an autocrat says it's his?
I'm not criticizing Trumbo for a lack of nuance because I think more often than not, he's correct, and I think if more people read this book, just maybe we would think twice about what a war really means before sending people to die in one. I'm glad I finally read it, but now I definitely need something a little more uplifting.
And for many wars, Trumbo's position holds true. There's no sense to be found in World War I or any other wars, which rely on propaganda to further the interests of various stakeholders and send young men off to battle to suffer and die.
But even in his forward, Trumbo wrestles with what to do with something like World War II. It's difficult to argue that all war must be abolished in the scenario when a madman has designs on world domination and is willing to exterminate anyone who doesn't fall in line. In this instance, war becomes a matter of survival. The problem is that WWII is cloaked in the same rhetoric as all other wars even though all other wars are not WWII.
Reading this, I thought about the major war of my young adult life, the Iraq War, which was utterly senseless and completely by choice. It made no one safer, but it did make certain people a lot of money. But then I think about the War in Ukraine right now, and what choice do Ukrainians have in the matter? Are they supposed to give up their country because an autocrat says it's his?
I'm not criticizing Trumbo for a lack of nuance because I think more often than not, he's correct, and I think if more people read this book, just maybe we would think twice about what a war really means before sending people to die in one. I'm glad I finally read it, but now I definitely need something a little more uplifting.