About the book
Set among German troops in the trenches of World War I, Erich Maria Remarque's semi-autobiographical novel follows Paul Bäumer, a German schoolboy who volunteers for the Imperial German Army along with his whole class after hearing the patriotic speeches of their teacher, Kantorek. At the front, Paul and his schoolmates fall in with Stanislaus Katczinsky, an older reservist nicknamed Kat who becomes his mentor, and endure the filth and danger of trench warfare fought over meager scraps of land. Remarque, himself a German veteran of the war, also traces how cut off soldiers felt from civilian life. Nazi Germany banned and burned the novel, and three film adaptations have won awards, among them several Academy Awards.
Ramit Sethi said the novel earns a second read after high school, pointing to Remarque's own service on the German front lines and his haunting picture of trench warfare and of soldiers back home.
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This book has 1 recommendation
Ramit Sethi (Founder/GrowthLab)
Though you were probably forced to read this in high school, this is a novel that deserves a second read. Having served on the German frontlines himself, Remarque provides a haunting and gritty account of the realities of trench warfare as well as the impact of war when soldiers are home.
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