Johnny Got His Gun

By: Dalton Trumbo

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins

Publisher's summary

This was no ordinary war. This was a war to make the world safe for democracy. And if democracy was made safe, then nothing else mattered - not the millions of dead bodies, nor the thousands of ruined lives. This is no ordinary novel. This is a novel that never takes the easy way out: it is shocking, violent, terrifying, horrible, uncompromising, brutal, remorseless, and gruesome...but so is war.

Johnny Got His Gun holds a place as one of the classic antiwar novels. First published in 1939, Dalton Trumbo's story of a young American soldier terribly maimed in World War I - he "survives" armless, legless, and faceless, but with his mind intact - was an immediate best seller. This fiercely moving novel was a rallying point for many Americans who came of age during World War II, and it became perhaps the most popular novel of protest during the Vietnam era.

©1991 Dalton Trumbo (P)2008 Tantor

Critic reviews

"[This] is a terrifying book, of an extraordinary emotional intensity." ( The Washington Post)
"There can be no question of the effectiveness of this book." ( The New York Times)

In A Category of Its Own

Would you listen to Johnny Got His Gun again? Why?

Yes- - - the oration is as excellent as the written work. Every single page brings some poignant reason why life and the living are important and how absolutely obscene is war. Dalton Trumbo's genius and courage are benchmarks for any author or script-writer who even dreams of composing a story that deals with the consequences of war. Trumbo's "Johnny Got His Gun" is, in a serious way, equivalent in impact to "Catch 22" from Joseph Heller. Anyone who claims to be human should dedicate the minimal time needed to experience the stark, rich and artful portrayal of the human aberration called "war" and the ultimate ugly result it can create. In an era where politics have become so polarized and laden with jargon, "Johnny Got His Gun" is a book, which can withstand any pro-war propaganda and end up demonstrating that most wars are fought at the sole expense of the man (and now some women) who are where the lead meets flesh. A more significant work of literature is yet to be written. The question is; "Written by whom and about what?"

What did you like best about this story?

The vividness of the wording and the pictures that came to mind, making it feel real.

Which scene was your favorite?

Irrelevant

If you could take any character from Johnny Got His Gun out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Dumb question. Joe Bonham was being fed through a gastro-tube.
I am not good enough in Morse Code to communicate with Joe.
Sorry to be sarcastic but the question is irrelevant for this book.

Any additional comments?

R E A D (Listen to) T H I S B O O K.
It will transform your life.

Wow! So good!!

I've known about this book for a long time and just never picked it up. It was so good! The Audible performance was amazing! This book was good on so many levels!

This narrator is terrible.

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I really had a hard time listening to this. It sounds like the narrator read this book doing a Bill Clinton impression. Terrible.

Best performer

The best American performer I have listened to. This performance is not narration but a one-man dramatic experience. If you read this book, listen to the Audible simultaneously, or visa versa.

A must read for all ages

Masterfully executed premise with an incredible message. The style of writing is beautiful in and of itself, and the performance adds a new level of intimacy to an already profound experience.

The movie does no justice. a must read

no wonder this book was black listed. it is a master piece. Trumbo was a great story teller.

required reading

this should be required reading for Everyone. Continues to be relevant after all these years.

Powerful, important story.

Hard to listen to at points but all the more important for being emotionally evocative. Skip the introductions but definitely read or listen to this book.

Amazing voice actor brings the story to life

Would you consider the audio edition of Johnny Got His Gun to be better than the print version?

No, because I would never replace a book with an audiobook, but it is an excellent companion to the book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Johnny Got His Gun?

That would be giving the story away. What I will say, however, is that this voice actor has breathed emotional life into this story in a way that makes it hit you harder than just reading it alone.

Have you listened to any of William Dufris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I haven't.

Who was the most memorable character of Johnny Got His Gun and why?

I'm not giving the story away.

Any additional comments?

I read this book when I was in 11th grade, in 1997. We didn't have the accompanying audiobook at that time. The book changed the way I viewed the world and left an incredible impression on me then. I'm reading it now with my high school English class, accompanied by the audiobook, and I find myself to be even more emotionally involved with the book now than I was then. My students are riveted, and we're only three chapters in. I highly recommend this audiobook as an accompaniment to the book. The voice actor will pull the emotions out of you and you will want to go back to the print book to make sure you really had read what you just thought you'd read and it really did rock your world.

Lose the screed.

Powerful book and phenomenal telling. Could do without the preachy and partisan introductory screed.