On Killing

Rating:
Summary: Poor writing and editing ruin a worthy effort.
Review: Unfortunately, I cannot concur with the gushing reviews other readers have posted here. While the idea of understanding why human beings kill one another is a fascinating topic, the book's thesis is undermined by bad writing and poor editing. In terms of the writing, the paperback edition I have is full of incomplete sentences, improper punctuation, confused organization, intolerable redundacy, and a complete lack of subordination of minor to major points. As for the editing, there are several failures to cite sources or references correctly, which I find unacceptable in a book supposedly based upon scholarly research. Although the intended audience here is clearly a popular instead of a scholarly one, it still behooves the author to provide a paper trail of correctly cited sources for his evidence and reasoning. As for the argument presented in the book, it is weakened by these flaws as well as the author's penchant for circular reasoning. He needs to take a college course in practical logic to make his case more cogent. Please note that I believe a book such as this one is necessary now. It is a shame that this one had to come from a source that was not up to challenge of making serious scholarship more persuasively available.

Rating:
Summary: Must reading for those "in the business"
Review: I spent half my life as a big city cop. Now I understand why we do (and don't do) our job.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Though repeptive and lacking in style, this is one of the most provocative books I have ever read. This book may just change the way you think about humankind, killing, and war. No small feat. Perhaps most telling about the book is the compassion which streams through each page. A stunning examination of a difficult topic.

Rating:
Summary: On Target ol' Ranger Buddy! Must read for Military Chaplains
Review: Provides insights for those who provide pastoral care for our warriors that can be obtained no other way - short of picking up a rifle and facing the elephant yourself. Every military chaplain and professional care giver needs to absorb the lessons Ranger Grossman has gleaned from history and our veterans. Not bad work for an old 82nd Trooper and OCS grad! Well done, old buddy. By the way, how many more high school massacres will there be before we put a stop to unrestrained media violence - particularly the video arcade conditioning/training devices? Perhaps now would be a good time to allow God and prayer back into the classrooms.

Rating:
Summary: An insightful, ground-breaking study on why man kills man
Review: Dave Grossman has written perhaps one of the most insightful books on what motivates men in combat since S.LA. Marshall's "Men Against Fire". Grossman combines the thoroughness of an learned psychologist with the practical viewpoint of a lifetime dedicated to military service. He provides us with a unique and truly fascinating look into the dark and often terribly painful mental process that brings a man to pull the trigger and kill his fellow man. As an officer in the Army, I consider this book an essential read for anyone who may someday bear the burden of leading men in combat. We often get such a distorted view of remorseless killing from the popular media that most of us are shocked to discover that the act of killing a man at close range is something that very few soldiers are capable of. In a similar fashion to S.L.A. Marshall, Grossman demonstrates with overwhelming evidence how the vast majority of soldiers are tremendously reluctant to kill, frequently prefering to risk their own death instead. The book offers such a profound and important perspective on the nature of warfare at the human level that I suspect it will some day be part a curriculum for training officers and non-commissioned officers on combat leadership. Although the book's primary focus is on the nature of killing in warfare, his conclusions have relevance for anyone concerned with the problem of violence in society. One of Grossman's most useful conclusions is the suggestion that virtual reality video games allow their users to overcome the natural reluctance to kill by gradually desensitizing the mind to violence. This erosion then makes it easier for those who are pre-disposed to aggressive violence to act on their desires in a violent way. With the recent string of high school shootings, Grossman's hypothesis has immediate relevance to current social issues. In fact, he has been a frequent commentator on these tragedies with several national news networks. In summary, Grossman's book peers cautiously into the darker side of man's nature to understand what drives him to kill in combat. What he finds there is vastly different from what we are taught to expect- simply that the vast majority of people are unable to look a fellow man in the eye and kill him even if his own life may be at stake. The forces that allow him to overcome that reluctance in the heat of battle include peer pressure, leadership, training, and physical distance and are examined in great detail.

Rating:
Summary: A real eye opener to how we are self-destroying our society.
Review: Being in law enforcement, this is a must read for anyone who is associated with the criminal justice field. The best survivsors guidebook in dealing with the pain of death and destruction that one human being displays towards another. If we were to practice what Col. Grossman preaches, our world would be a better place to live. This is not a book on how to kill. It is a book on how to overcome the pain of loosing life.

Rating:
Summary: IF YOU READ ONE BOOK THIS YEAR, MAKE IT THIS ONE.
Review: The experience of combat as a Marine left me with many unpleasant questions about myself. This book helped me answer them. LtCol. Grossman speaks from experience in addition to broad academic study. The parallels between my training, from boot camp through infantry school, and the desensitization young Americans go through in daily life today are terrifying. Now imagine the effects without the safety net of military culture surrounding you. Every American should read this book to help open their eyes to the reality of modern mass media culture and its effects on their world.

Rating:
Summary: Read this book to understand both Kosova and Littleton
Review: I read this book two years ago in an attempt to understand the killings that take place on a daily basis in the US. I have long believed that the availability of guns is only the tip of the iceberg of cause, and Grossman's book certainly confirmed that. The book was a painful read -- killing is not a pleasant subject -- and Grossman presents all of its horrors. But I learned a great deal, enough to make sense of both Littleton and Kosova. Our leaders in government and in education should read this book. It will help them foresee and perhaps avoid future atrocities of both kinds. Parents should read this book to understand the elements in our society that will make more Littletons enevitable without changes in the values we allow our children children to absorb from sources outside the home. Grossman very convincingly compares the effects of violence in the media and computer games to the conditioning of military training, but without the safeguards. Written in 1996, his book predicts what is happening today in schools across the nation. Take heed, read this book, and starting writing to your representatives in government and your school board.

Rating:
Summary: profound exploration of a taboo subject
Review: As both a psychiatrist and the daughter of a combat veteran, I am struck by the depth and honesty of this book. LtCol. Grossman's work has allowed me to understand things that previously baffled me, regarding both human nature and my own family dynamics. People who ask, "Why are American children killing each other?" should be directed to read this book.

Rating:
Summary: On school yard shootings in America
Review: Every time there is a new school yard shooting in this country (like today), I recall the final, ominous chapter in Dave Grossman's book.

What else is there to be said?