All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque is a gripping novel that follows the life of young men in Germany during World War I. Paul, the main character, and his other college friends are urged to join the fight for their fatherland from their college professor. The boys decide to join and quickly realize war isn't as fun as they imagined it would be. The novel shows the boys as they lose members of their platoon and also their innocence. It follows both their physical and emotional stresses during the war and how they cope with civilian life after they have experienced the war.
Interestingly, Remarque was a veteran of WWI. All of his books were banned in the 1930s in Germany because of their anti-war message. All Quiet on the Western Front was publicly burned by the Nazi's as well.
Any teaching ideas with this? I used the movie in my global 10 class during student teaching but the book is beautifully written, with great detail.
HOLLY!!!! OMG I am in love with this book and what it offers!! I am always looking for more WWI stuff and have never heard of this book!! SOOOOOOO THANK YOU!! WOOP WOOP
ReplyDelete