All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

In the novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, a common predicament happening in Germany in the time of World War 1 is portrayed. The book is about a group of boys who have been told that they should enlist in the army by their old school teacher. As the boys begin the story they are on the front lines not expecting what is to come. These men must stay together to survive.
Throughout the story they face many challenges that fail and succeed in tearing them apart, challenges that range from the death of a member of the group or just being away from home. For example the men’s first challenge they have to face is the death of Kemmerick, one of the boys from their old school.
As a reader you get to feel the emotions of the book, just by how well its written. You can experience the tragedy and excitement that travel through the men. You feel the relatable side of the characters, having felt the same emotions as them before.
When the book was published in 1929 it was a classic for its time. It showed not only the hardship of war, but also the unity of the group. On page 20 Remarque states “it awakened in us a strong practical sense of esprit de corps, which in the field developed into the finest thing that arose out of war- comradeship,” which gives that reader a sense of how the men responded to each other, when they didn’t even know if they were going to live to see tomorrow.
If you are fond of books about war and friendship that gets you through hard times you would be well recommended to read All Quiet on the Western Front, a fantastic book of its time.