I love this book. I understand how generic that overused that four-letter word seems, but the deep feelings that this cautionary tale of the devastation of war provoked in me are unlike anything I have felt before. I loved it. Johnny Got His Gun did what every great book does; it shifted my entire world view. I could write endlessly of the unparalleled struggle in the first half of the book, “The Death”, but that portion of the book only gave me sadness. The second half, “The Living”, gave me resentment but also hope. When Joe Bonham cannot find a way to die he finds a way to live. Every day, he tries to image a sunrise and even though he will never see one again, he revels in its unseen glory. This part of the book touched me the most. It made me realize just how lucky I am to stare at a crimson sky as dawn breaks. It made me hate America for taking that from fictional Joe, and non-fictional veterans from all wars. Every person should read this book. It isn’t particularly well written, and the plot is not at all satisfying, but the message is too important to ignore this work. Nobody should be forced to die for a word, whether it be liberty, unity, or democracy. Life is too precious and too fleeting to waste it fighting.
