Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

This book written in the late 1930’s is a novel that became a controversial classic. Here is a brief history of this book that continues to live on:Johnny Got His Gun was reissued by L. Stuart in 1959, with a new introduction by the author, which was updated in 1970. It was reprinted in a Citadel trade paperback edition in 1991, with an introduction by Ron Kovic. For this new edition with a foreword by Cindy Sheehan, the book has been entirely reset
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I found the book profoundly fascinating and extremely thought provoking. It parallels this classic, And No Birds Sang by Farley Mowat: His ability to capture the tragic comedy of life on earth has made him a national treasure in Canada and a beloved storyteller.

Excerpts from Johnny Got His Gun:

Everybody said America was fighting a war for the triumph of decency. But whose idea of decency? And decency for who? Speak up and tell us what decency is. Tell us how much better a decent dead man feels than an indecent live one.
It’s words you’re fighting for and you’re not making an honest deal your life for something better. You’re being noble and after you’re killed the thing you traded your life for won’t do you any good and chances are it won’t do anybody else any good either.
FIVE STARS