Date: 22 September 2013
Location: Gary & Peggy
We met this week out in the wilds of Madison county at Gary and Peggy’s lovely home. As we have all grown to expect, Peggy fed us a wonderful meal: sausage and potatoes, sauerkraut, German chocolate cake, etc. (In case anyone missed it, our book was about Germans in WW I.)
This classic book tells the story of German soldier Paul Baumer and his friends as they fight and die in the trenches during WW I. Written in the first person (all except the last two paragraphs), this book demolishes any romantic ideas of war and presents the grim reality of the horrors of that conflict. It describes the many different causes of death on the battlefield, with artillery shrapnel being one of the most common. Linda D. shared with us a piece of anti-aircraft shrapnel that narrowly missed her father in a bombing run during WW II.
This is a serious book, depicting in detail the terrors of the soldier’s life and death in that war. However, there were a few humorous events to relieve the tension. Paul’s attempt to capture a goose was hilarious, even when he had to get rough with a bulldog protecting the geese. Also, we all chuckled at the vision of the soldiers, wearing their boots and nothing else, as they crossed the creek to visit some friendly French women.
Perhaps the most moving part of the book was the episode when Paul was trapped between the lines. During the chaos a French soldier jumped into the same foxhold, and Paul quickly stabbed him, inflicting a fatal wound. The man died a slow and painful death, and Paul was filled with remorse as he listened to the man die. He felt no enmity with the French soldier and questioned why they should be warring with each other.
We had a lively discussion of the book covering related topics such as: why do we have war, are humans innately cruel, what can be done about bullying, etc. Someone made the interesting point that this book is often placed in the Young Adult category. It is true that many of us first read the book in high school or college, but we all felt its impact more strongly when re-reading it as mature adults.
— Bob