Title: Storm of Steel

Author: Ernst Junger  

Genre: Nonfiction

Publisher: Penguin Modern Classics  

Format: Paperback

Pages: 289

Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A memoir of astonishing power, savagery, and ashen lyricism, ‘Storm of Steel’ illuminates not only the horrors but also the fascination of total war, seen through the eyes of an ordinary German soldier.

Young, tough, patriotic, but also disturbingly self-aware, Jünger exulted in the Great War, which he saw not just as a great national conflict but more importantly as a unique personal struggle.

Leading raiding parties, defending trenches against murderous British incursions, simply enduring as shells tore his comrades apart, Jünger kept testing himself, braced for the death that will mark his failure.

Published shortly after the war’s end, ‘Storm of Steel’ was a worldwide bestseller and can now be rediscovered through Michael Hofmann’s brilliant new translation.

Review:

This work of nonfiction is written by someone who experienced the First World War and fought for the Germans. I really liked this book because I feel like you don’t get the German perspective of the war as often as the allies perspective.

This book was kinda written like a diary, and Junger tells his experience of different battles, as well as what goes on in between the battles. What he experienced during the war was intense, and the amount of times he was wounded and then sent back to the front really surprised me. He wrote that he wanted to get back to the front each time and how proud he was to be serving! It was also interesting to hear him talk about his fellow soldiers and how much he admired them, and how sad he was when one of his comrades was killed!

My favourite part of the book was his description of the battle of the Somme! I found it interesting to hear it from the German perspective!

Junger’s writing is beautiful and he is able to write about horrific experiences with grace.

Happy reading!