REVIEW: All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)

Book: All Quiet on the Western Front

Author: Erich Maria Remarque

Premise: In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys, fresh-faced and idealistic, are goaded by their schoolmaster to troop off to the ‘glorious war’. What follows is the moving story of a young  soldier experiencing the horror and disillusionment of life in the trenches.

This book was tough to read yet so important. It was really heartbreaking and I was crying at multiple points. But there are light moments, where we see the cameraderie of the soldiers and the tricks they play on each other. I think this story is important to keep in mind why we remember the world wars. This book brought home the brutality these soldiers faced and made me reflect more on the sacrifices on both side.