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Quick answer: If you finished All Quiet on the Western Front, try The Things They Carried, Johnny Got His Gun, Slaughterhouse-Five, Regeneration, Storm of Steel and Goodbye to All That. Each shows what war does to ordinary soldiers.
Erich Maria Remarque wrote one of the most honest war novels ever published: young German soldiers in the First World War who find that nothing prepared them for the front. Readers who want to stay in that mood can pick other World War I stories, or follow the theme of war's human cost through later conflicts. These 15 books are serious, and many include graphic violence.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Things They Carried | Tim O'Brien | Adult | readers who want the modern equivalent |
| Johnny Got His Gun | Dalton Trumbo | Adult | readers who want an antiwar story |
| Slaughterhouse-Five | Kurt Vonnegut | Adult | readers who like dark humor |
| Catch-22 | Joseph Heller | Adult | readers who like absurd comedy |
| A Farewell to Arms | Ernest Hemingway | Adult | readers who like classic fiction |
| Regeneration | Pat Barker | Adult | readers who want a psychological look |
| Storm of Steel | Ernst Jünger | Adult | readers who want a soldier's view |
| Goodbye to All That | Robert Graves | Adult | memoir readers |
| Testament of Youth | Vera Brittain | Adult | readers who want a woman's account |
| Birdsong | Sebastian Faulks | Adult | readers who like historical fiction |
| Memoirs of an Infantry Officer | Siegfried Sassoon | Adult | readers who like quiet reflection |
| Dispatches | Michael Herr | Adult | readers who want war reporting |
| The Naked and the Dead | Norman Mailer | Adult | readers who want a big war novel |
| With the Old Breed | E.B. Sledge | Adult | readers who want a true account |
| The Return of the Soldier | Rebecca West | Adult | readers who want a short book |
1. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
Linked stories about a platoon in Vietnam, mixing truth and memory. It is among the best books ever written about war.
Best for: readers who want the modern equivalent.
2. Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo
A badly wounded soldier from World War I lies in a hospital bed, unable to see, hear or speak. Grim and powerful.
Best for: readers who want an antiwar story.
3. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who survived the bombing of Dresden, becomes “unstuck in time.” Funny, strange and sad.
Best for: readers who like dark humor.
4. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Captain Yossarian, a bombardier in World War II, tries to survive a system that makes no sense. A satire of military logic.
Best for: readers who like absurd comedy.
5. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Frederic Henry, an ambulance driver on the Italian front, falls in love with a nurse. Spare, sad and beautiful.
Best for: readers who like classic fiction.
6. Regeneration by Pat Barker
At a Scottish hospital, Dr. Rivers treats shell-shocked officers including the poet Siegfried Sassoon. First in a trilogy.
Best for: readers who want a psychological look.
7. Storm of Steel by Ernst Jünger
A German officer's memoir of fighting in the trenches. Its tone is very different from Remarque's and makes a useful companion.
Best for: readers who want a soldier's view.
8. Goodbye to All That by Robert Graves
The poet's memoir of school, war service and the change in Britain afterward. Witty and bitter.
Best for: memoir readers.
9. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain
A young woman gives up Oxford to be a nurse and loses her fiancé, brother and friends. A touching view from home and hospital.
Best for: readers who want a woman's account.
10. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Stephen Wraysford falls in love before the war and fights in the trenches of the Somme. Intense and romantic.
Best for: readers who like historical fiction.
11. Memoirs of an Infantry Officer by Siegfried Sassoon
A fictionalized account of a British officer's war, with sharp detail and wry observation.
Best for: readers who like quiet reflection.
12. Dispatches by Michael Herr
A journalist reports from Vietnam in a vivid, rock-and-roll voice. Intense and influential.
Best for: readers who want war reporting.
13. The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer
A platoon in the Pacific during World War II, written with realism. A tough, long read.
Best for: readers who want a big war novel.
14. With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge
A U.S. Marine tells of fighting in Peleliu and Okinawa. Plain, honest and haunting.
Best for: readers who want a true account.
15. The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
A British officer comes home with shell shock and cannot remember the last 15 years. A short, moving novel of memory.
Best for: readers who want a short book.
How to Choose
For a modern equivalent of Remarque, start with The Things They Carried. For World War I itself, choose Regeneration, Birdsong or Goodbye to All That. For absurdity and humor, read Catch-22 or Slaughterhouse-Five. For nonfiction, try Dispatches or With the Old Breed. These books depict violence and trauma, so choose when you are ready.
Related: 15 Books Like Quiet by Susan Cain You’ll Love: Introverts, Sensitivity and Quiet Strength · 15 Books Like All the Light We Cannot See You’ll Love
Frequently Asked Questions
Is All Quiet on the Western Front a true story?
It is a novel, but Remarque, a German soldier, drew on his own experience of the war.
What should I read after it?
The Things They Carried and Regeneration are the most common next steps.
Is it suitable for teens?
Many schools teach it to teenagers, but it includes graphic scenes of death.