All Quiet on the Western Front

As part of my Classics Challenge I chose to read All Quiet on the Western Front.  It actually falls under 2 categories, because it was originally written in German, but I'm using it for category #2: A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1968.   This book was first published as a book in 1929.  Erich Maria Remarque, a World War I veteran, wrote this book, so even though it's fiction it is an extremely realistic depiction of a soldier's life in the trenches during World War I.  

A couple of themes stood out to me in this book.  1- The difficulty of soldiers had returning to civilian life after witnessing the atrocities of war.  Paul Baümer had a particularly difficult time returning home during his 14 day leave.  2- The brotherhood that forms within a group of soldiers when planted together in extreme circumstances.   They probably wouldn't have been friends in regular society, but as they fight side by side and endure the unthinkable together they form a permanent bond.  In some cases Baümer served with the same men for almost 3 years as one by one they are all killed or injured.  

This book is heart-breaking and riveting until the very last page.  A little side note: This is one of the books that was later banned and burned in Nazi Germany.  I guess Hilter didn't want anyone thinking of war as anything but glorious.