Post by PMP Webmaster on Mar 21, 2005 12:41:19 GMT -5
Just finished this book over the weekend. "On Killing" is a look into the psychological cost of killing during warfare and it's impact on the soldiers who kill and the society who has to deal with their horrors when the men return from war. It's not a plesant read, but it is VERY insightful.
Most of us may think, "Gee, it sucks to kill people, and I'm sure it messes you up, but I guess that's just what war does to you." But often it is not just "war" that causes psychological stress, but the killing done in war. What is most shocking is that some men would rather risk their own lives than kill when it comes time to pull the trigger looking down the sights at another human being.
For those out there who read and write violent fiction, I'd strongly suggest reading this book. It provides a very enlightening look at what goes on in the minds of men who kill, and offers some insight into the men who can kill seemingly without remorse, what the book notes as the two percent of combatants who possess the "aggressive psychopathy" needed to kill and kill and kill again without suffering trauma from it.
Here's a fairly long article from the New Yorker that talks about this subject matter, and makes references to Grossman's book:
www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040712fa_fact
If you find the article interesting, definitely pick up the book.