All Quiet on the Western Front

Such an important book. I think the biggest takeaway I got from this, aside from how war is never supposed to be glamorized, is empathy. Remarque has such a tremendous respect for everyone involved in the novel, specifically the working class. He's quick to point out that the most affected one of all are the downtrodden, the ones only used as pawns for other people to abuse. It also helps that the way he writes women feels so honest—no misogyny, just writing them as people. One of my favorite parts is during Paul's time away from the front, when he sees the Russian prison. Remarque holds such a grip on keeping the humanity, even at times when you feel as though there isn't any.The next part is just overindulgent, and probably rude on my part, so I'll just put it in spoilers: Kat and Paul have the most intense romantic (non-romantic) chemistry I've ever seen. With my modern sensibilities, it's easy to think that it's subtly queer, but it's genuinely such a great depiction of brotherhood and genuine love and respect they have for each other.