josephbdoner's review against another edition
4.0
A relatively sparse yet revealing account of World War 1 from the point of view of a young German soldier. Junger's perspective seems distant in some ways, he seems to be largely unafraid at the dangers he faces, feeling more annoyance than fear at the horrendous conditions and tasks he is faced with. Despite this however he still manages to communicate powerful emotions at moments of loss, victory, or fear on the parts of his companions or unit as a whole. Junger's prose is fairly simple and direct, very easy to get through in a day or less if you are so inclined.
evjenny's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
3.5
bertwagner's review against another edition
4.0
Ernst Jünger served with distinction during World War 1, from 1914 to 1918, and received the Pour le Mérite (Blue Max) for his efforts, an unusual decoration for a lieutenant.
He relished being a soldier, accepted one dangerous mission after another and gives the reader a dispassionate and brutally honest view of the carnage, even though he is quite repetitive (likely due to the fact that the book is a transcript of his war diaries). However, his view of the war was not negative as he felt that fighting was an expression of love to one’s country, one’s friends, one’s enemies, and oneself. He also felt that the war experience was an important developmental factor for men. In contrast, in Erich Remarque’s “All is Quiet on the Western Front”, war is displayed as indiscriminate and dehumanizing. The difference is likely due to the fact that Remarque was a private soldier who had served less than two months in the trenches before injuries took him off the field whereas Jünger, being an officer and trainer of storm troops, spent more time above the trenches, being able to have more influence on his situation. Furthermore, Remarque’s book was written more than a decade after the war whereas Jünger wrote his book right after the war when anti-war sentiments were not so strong.
Both books offer different perspectives on the war to end all wars and I recommend them.
He relished being a soldier, accepted one dangerous mission after another and gives the reader a dispassionate and brutally honest view of the carnage, even though he is quite repetitive (likely due to the fact that the book is a transcript of his war diaries). However, his view of the war was not negative as he felt that fighting was an expression of love to one’s country, one’s friends, one’s enemies, and oneself. He also felt that the war experience was an important developmental factor for men. In contrast, in Erich Remarque’s “All is Quiet on the Western Front”, war is displayed as indiscriminate and dehumanizing. The difference is likely due to the fact that Remarque was a private soldier who had served less than two months in the trenches before injuries took him off the field whereas Jünger, being an officer and trainer of storm troops, spent more time above the trenches, being able to have more influence on his situation. Furthermore, Remarque’s book was written more than a decade after the war whereas Jünger wrote his book right after the war when anti-war sentiments were not so strong.
Both books offer different perspectives on the war to end all wars and I recommend them.
jchimpius's review against another edition
5.0
Written by a shock trooper and company commander who had fourteen major wounds, this war story is bloody and exciting. Junger cuts very little out of his account of ww1. Although it appears at some points he is deluded by wounds, ultranationalism, and PTSD he intended this to be a semi philosophical work. I would agree and it has fundamentally changed the way I view the effect that war as an experience has on a person. I look forward to reading his purely philosophical work on war in the future.
edit: I've decided this was deserving of 5 stars not because its a perfect book but because its the best memoirs/ war story I have ever read
edit: I've decided this was deserving of 5 stars not because its a perfect book but because its the best memoirs/ war story I have ever read
letters_to_words's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
3.5
This is one of the most interesting WW1 books I’ve read. It is far from being an emotional read because the narrator (author himself) is a bit detached from the lives lost, but rather focuses on the glory of war. I found it very informative, he writes and explains many war terminology. It was a quick read, didn’t drag, but it’s basically a “daily-life of a German soldier”.
rileysamsa's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Most narratives about the First World War are dishonest: mostly done by people many years after the events, with a political motive to oppose the war and anything that comes of it; but also a perceived ethical obligation to present the war as something they did not enjoy at all. Jünger answers All Quiet on the Western Front 10 years before it was written, by discussing the war how he saw it: violent, brutal, exhilarating, intoxicating, and very human.
Jünger, like most people did and would, revels in the excitement and chaos of war, and is almost addicted to the rush of putting his life on the line daily. In that way, he admits what others are ashamed to: that he is a human being, and sometimes human beings are unreasonable, brutal, savage, and aggressive - yet, none of those things make him, or any of his comrades or enemies, evil.
A vivid and all too real look into why human beings go to war, and why so often they're willing to die for a country.
I genuinely think this is one of the best and most important books ever written.
Jünger, like most people did and would, revels in the excitement and chaos of war, and is almost addicted to the rush of putting his life on the line daily. In that way, he admits what others are ashamed to: that he is a human being, and sometimes human beings are unreasonable, brutal, savage, and aggressive - yet, none of those things make him, or any of his comrades or enemies, evil.
A vivid and all too real look into why human beings go to war, and why so often they're willing to die for a country.
I genuinely think this is one of the best and most important books ever written.