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Overview

Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun, published in 1939, is a powerful anti-war novel. It tells the story of Joe Bonham, a young American soldier who loses his limbs, eyes, ears, and mouth during World War I, rendering him trapped in a state of complete sensory deprivation. The narrative unfolds as Joe grapples with the cruel realities of war, isolation, and his own existence. Trumbo’s novel serves as a scathing critique of war and the dehumanizing effects it has on soldiers. At the height of the Vietnam War in 1971, Johnny Got His Gun was made into a film that was directed by its author, Dalton Trumbo.

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