All Quiet on the Western Front

The book that I have recently started reading is called "All Quiet on the Western Front," by Erich Maria Remarque. The novel is set in the perspective of Paul Bäumer, a young soldier who has barely become an adult. Paul writes in his journal about the horrors of war: watching his comrades die, facing starvation, sickness,  and exhaustion, never being able to see his parents, and, of course, going out onto the western front. The western front is where Paul must fight through the trauma and destruction of shelling, be constantly alert of gas that would make a man painfully cough out his lungs, and watch out for the mines that would literally blow a man out of his clothes. In the beginning, Paul writes about how hopeful and carefree he and his friends were when they first joined the army. Now, they have become nothing but empty shells, only knowing how to survive and nothing else. They enter the war as boys and turn into men, but will they be able to walk out of the war at all?

On the front cover of the novel, the words "The Greatest War Novel of All Time" are written. And I agree with that statement. Although I am only a few pages in, I can already tell this book is different from other war novels. For one thing, the writing style is very interesting. It is written from the perspective of a soldier, so the views of the lieutenants, other soldiers, and the war in general is very one-sided, yet very interesting to read. The way the author wrote the novel makes it feel like you really are reading the diary of a soldier, which I liked. The reason I chose to read this book is because I have read a few war novels before, like "Rifles for Watie." This novel just seemed to be more insightful, thought-provoking, and interesting than other war novels. And I was right. As soon as I read the first page I was hooked, and I can't wait to read more of it.