All Quiet on the Western Front

By: Erich Maria Remarque

Fawcett Crest

This is the story of Paul Baumer, an 18 year old boy who enlists with his
classmates in the German Army during WW1. They are inspired by their teacher,
Kantorek to join and serve their nation. After 10 weeks of fighting at the front lines, only
8 out of the original 150 men survive. Paul and his friends soon learn the terror of war
and stop thinking of it as a glorious thing. Paul’s friend Kemmerich dies after getting his
leg shot and cut off. Paul learns that in war, one needs to distance himself away from
emotions such as grief and he does so.

A group of new recruits soon arrive and more battles begin. Slowly more and
more of Paul’s friends are killed or fatally wounded. Paul realizes he needs to become
like an animal, only relying on instinct to survive this war. After this, Paul returns home
for 17 days of rest. He finds out that his mother is dying from cancer and there is
nothing Paul can do to stop her death.

Paul returns to the army and kills his first man in hand-to- hand combat. Paul is
deeply saddened by this and his remaining friends try to console him. For the next three
weeks, Paul and his friends are given an easy assignment to help evacuate a German
village. During a battle there, Paul is injured and sent to a hospital where he sees
hundreds of solders dying and he soon realizes after the war that these people’s lives
are going to be ruined forever. After treatment Paul is sent back into the field of war. All
of his friends have been killed and he is the only one remaining. In October 1918, Paul is
killed. The army report for that day reads simply: “All quiet on the Western Front.”

What People said about the book:

“It is to me the greatest book about the war that I have ever seen.” – Christopher
Morley, Saturday Review

“Surely the greatest of all war books. It stands pre-eminent.” – Manchester Guardian

“ The greatest war book that has yet been written.”- Redakteur Stohr (German book
reviewer)