The War To End All Wars - Russell Freedman

"Those who lived through World War I called it the Great War because of its massive scale"

The War To End All Wars - Russell Freedman

This past week I have studied World War I and found out what a true horror it was. Volunteer soldiers, caught by a romanticized idea of war, willingly laying their lives down. The brutal mentality towards Germans. The innocent lives of civilians. Millions of casualties. And scars that would last a lifetime. Only a little over a century ago did this war begin, yet it shaped the world in unimaginable ways. 

This book was an amazing resource of information. It covered the events from before the war until after. The information was presented in an easy to understand way and I have certainly acquired more knowledge of this historic war because of this book. The pages of this book were filled with actual photos of soldiers, the battles or affected families. It truly made the words on the page jump out, and it forced the reader to realize that World War I is more than just something learned about in history class. It was a very real event, and an awful four years of the twentieth century. 

The information in the book was very in-depth and accurate. Although it is a large book, somehow it did not feel overwhelming. I enjoyed learning and understanding more about this war from beginning to end. Indeed this book was full of information, yet everything seemed important and placed in the text for a reason. Clearly, this book was very well thought out. 

I would recommend this book to everyone living in today's society. Whether interested in war or not, this book will be a beneficial read. It's important for us, who have not lived to see World War 1, to educate ourselves on such a huge event in the past. 

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

“You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another.”  

The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway

This book was so incredibly awful that I don't know what to say about it. The only part I did like about this nearly 300-page book was the 13 words in the quote above. Other than that, the book was boring and seemingly pointless. I don't even know why this book is titled "The Sun Also Rises". That was not cleared up in the pages. It must have some vague meaning that I didn't catch because I was so bored.

Generally, I go into any book with optimism, and this one was no different. In fact, I was really excited to read this book. I thought it would be good. I thought it would be a new favorite. But I was wrong, oh so very wrong. Instead, this book has officially become the most boring book that I have ever been assigned to read, and I've been assigned some boring books. If it hadn't been assigned, I wouldn't have finished it. I probably would have stopped reading it after the first or maybe second chapter. I may have preferred to have read an encyclopedia, for at least then I would have gained some sort of knowledge about something, anything.

There are other reasons why I did not enjoy this book, other than its utter boringness. Primarily, this book involved the use of alcohol and occasionally cigarettes. However, alcohol was frequently mentioned. Actually, more than frequently, like on every page. To me, alcohol is a waste of time and money, and it gives no meaning or purpose to someone's life. Maybe I did not enjoy this book because the characters lives seemed too low and worthless. It appeared to me that they had no goals or wishes or desires, they just drank a whole lot and went around and did average stuff that no one cares about. And the frequent talk and use of alcohol in this book was not even considered as a problem.

For some reason, my first impression of Ernest Hemingway, before reading this book, was that he was some sort of poet. Well, this book proved me wrong. The language in this book was awful, not only in word choice but also in swearing! As with the alcohol, this book used cuss a lot. It is very unpleasant to read a book with cuss words in nearly every chapter.

Throughout the book, Ernest Hemingway, for some reason, thought it necessary to describe the character's every day life. This is essentially why I was bored to death with this book. It was like reading a 10-year old's journal that consisted of the days most mundane events and details no one cares to know.

I do not recommend this book to anyone. Go ahead and read it if you so desire to be drained of energy and experience nothing but boredom, as well as constant wonder of "why am I being told this?". I think the world would be better if this book had not been published.