On Killing (ePub)

“While some of the evidence to support his theories have been previously presented by military historians (most notably, John Keegan), this systematic examination of the individual soldier's behavior, like all good scientific theory making, leads to a series of useful explanations for a variety of phenomena, such as the high rate of post traumatic stress disorders among Vietnam veterans, why the rate of aggravated assault continues to climb, and why civilian populations that have endured heavy bombing in warfare do not have high incidents of mental illness. This important book deserves a wide readership. Essential for all libraries serving military personnel or veterans, including most public libraries.” —Library Journal
 
“Very much in the genre of the work of British authors John Keegan, Richard Holmes, and others that explores the grim essence of warfare. The author, an army infantry officer who has taught psychology at West Point, writes well and persuasively. Historians, however, will stir uneasily as they examine his footnotes, which cite sources from Soldier of Fortune magazine to the surveys of S. L. A. Marshall to various popular works of history. Grossman acknowledges this limitation and presses on, marshaling an impressive range of anecdotes, which he then turns into a psychological theory illustrating killing-response stages with flow charts and diagrams.” —Foreign Affairs