ON THE
WESTERN FRONT
Erich Maria
Remarque
BOMBARDMENT,
BARRAGE,
CURTAIN-FIRE, MINES, GAS,
TANKS, MACHINE-GUNS,
HAND-GRENADES—WORDS,
WORDS, BUT THEY HOLD THE
HORROR OF THE WORLD.
ERICH MARIA REMARQUE
ALL QUIET ON THE
WESTERN FRONT
E
BY
ERICH MARIA REMARQUE
K ANKAKEE A REA L IBRARY A SSOCIATION
2014 ONE BOOK, ONE COMMUNITY
rich Maria Remarque was born Erich Paul
Remark on June 22, 1898 in Osnabruck,
Germany near the town of Munster. At the
age of 18, Erich was conscripted into the German
army. On June 12,1917, he transferred to the Western
Front, serving with the 2nd Company, Reserves, Field
Depot of the 2nd Guards Reserve Division. By the
end of the month he was stationed with the 15th
Reserve Infantry Regiment, 2nd Company, Engineer
Platoon Bethe. Having been wounded by shrapnel in the left leg, right
arm and neck, he spent the
remainder of the war in a army hospital.
These experiences of war influenced his writing of All Quiet released in
1929.
With the outbreak of World War II, Remarque was an outspoken
opponent of fascism. Earlier in May 1933 his books were publically
burned in Berlin: “For literary betrayal of soldiers of the world war, in
order to educate the people on how to fight back!” Remarque would
pass away September 25, 1970.
In commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of World War I, the
Kankakee Area Library Association’s One Book, One Community has
selected All Quiet On The Western Front as title of the year for 2014.
To find more information on the life of Erich Remarque see
http://www.remarque.uni-osnabrueck.de/internet.htm
THE A UTHOR
ALL QUIET
D ISCUSSION GUIDE
2
Kantorek the schoolmaster convinced Paul
Baumer and all his schoolmates to enlist,
but Paul’s actual wartime experiences prove
to be very different than expected. What
effect do you think this had on Paul’s faith
in the adult world?
As their comrade Kemmerich lies dying in
the infirmary, Paul and the other soldiers
gather around him to offer encouragement
and comfort.
But they’re also very
concerned about who will get Kemmerich’s
boots once he dies. What is the significance
of this?
3
Paul muses: “We are eighteen and had
begun to love life and the world; and we had
to shoot it to pieces.” What makes this so
poignant?
4
What did you make of Himmelstoss’s
treatment of the soldiers, and vice versa?
How did Paul’s opinion of him change over
time?
5
6
7
8
9
10
When Paul is caught in a trench with a
soldier from the other side, he wants to help
the man’s family after the war. But later,
back among his comrades, he says: “It was
only because I had to lie there with him so
long...After all, war is war.” What does he
mean by this?
Paul’s descriptions of the Russian prisoners
of war show evidence of compassion. How
have Paul’s attitudes towards the enemy
changed over the course of the book?
Why do Paul and men of his age group fear
the end of the war as much as they fear the
war itself
What did you think of the ending?
A hundred years after WWI, what has
changed? What has stayed the same?
What do you think of Remarque was
ultimately trying to say about war?
The Kankakee Area Library Association has many
events planned for the One Book, One Community
program in October, including several book
discussions and author visits. Enhance your
understanding of the book - Contact specific library
for further information and RSVP.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2
World Gone Mad—A History of
World War I presented by Jim
Gibbons
Kankakee Public Library 7:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21
Howard Knotts: Flying Ace
presented by Tom Emery
Bourbonnais Public Library 6:30 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4
Over There: The War to End All
War presented by Terry Lynch
Peotone Public Library 10:30 a.m.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5
All Quiet On The Western Front
Paramount Theater
Sunday Matinee
1:00 p.m.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7
World War I: The Homefront and
Consequences of the War.
Limestone Township Library 6:30 p.m.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11
World War Flyers—Kankakee
Model Flyers instructing how to fly
remote controlled planes.
Limestone Township Library 1-3 p.m.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16
The Christmas Truce, 1914—
presented by author Rochelle
Pennington
Bradley Public Library 7 p.m.
Life of the Soldier
Peotone High School 6:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 24
The Great War: An End and a
Beginning. Lecture & discussion on
the philosophical and historical
impact of WWI led by Professor
William Dean
Olivet Nazarene University—Benner
Library, Fishbowl 10:00 a.m.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28
Faculty Panel Presentation
Kankakee Community College 6:30
p.m. Iroquois Room—D152
DURING THE MONTH OF
OCTOBER
World War I posters and book
display.
Bourbonnais Public Library
EVENTS / BOOK D ISCUSSIONS
1
ON THE W EB
World War I Document Archive
http://wwi.lib.byu.edu/index.php/
Main_Page
The Great War (PBS)
http://www.pbs.org/greatwar/
Trenches on the Web
http://www.worldwar1.com/
BOOKS F OR Y OUNG READERS
Library of Congress—Guide to
World War I Materials.
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/
wwi/wwi.html
PICTURE BOOKS
Knit Your Bit: A World War I
Story
by Deborah Hopkinson
When his father leaves to fight in
World War I, Mikey joins the
Central Park Knitting Bee to help
knit clothing for the soldiers.
FICTION
The Night Flyers
by Elizabeth McDavid Jones
In 1918, caring for her family’s
homing pigeons while her father is
away fighting in World War I,
twelve year old Pam comes to
suspect that a mysterious stranger in
her small North Carolina town is a
spy.
When Christmas Comes Again:
The World War One Diary of
Simone Spencer
by Beth Seidel Levine
Teenage Simone’s diaries reveal her
experiences as a “Hello girl,” a
volunteer switchboard operator for
the Army Signal Corps in France.
Age 14
by Geert Spillebeen
Patrick Condon pretends to be his
brother John, and joins the army.
When World War I begins he finds
the adventure and glory he craved
and the tragic way he achieves both.
Soldier Dog
by Sam Angus
The war in France is larger and more
brutal than Stanley imagined. How
can a young boy survive and find his
brother with only a dog to help.
NONFICTION
The War to End All Wars
by Russell Freedman
A overall history of World War I.
World War I
by Simon Adams
An eyewitness guides series.
Voices of World War I: stories
from the trenches
by Ann Heinrichs
Describes first-hand accounts of
World War I from those who lived
it.
Over there! The American soldier
in World War I
by Jonathan Gawne
Describes the training, uniforms,
equipment, and role of American
soldiers fighting in Europe.
Harlem Hellfighters
by Walter Dean Myers & William
Miles.
The true story of the AfricanAmerican heroes of World War I,
the soldiers of the 369th Infantry
Regiment.
FICTION
To The Last Man: A Novel of the
First World War
by Jeff Shaara
From the perspective of actual
historical figures and a supporting
cast of other real-life characters
provide a gruesomely graphic
portrayal of the brutality and folly of
total war.
A Farewell To Arms
by Ernest Hemingway
A story of a tragic romance set against
the brutality of and confusion of
World War I.
The First of July
by Elizabeth Speller
Follows the lives of four very
different men as their fates converge
on the most terrible and destructive
day of the of World War I, the first
day of the Battle of the Somme.
Alfred and Emily
by Doris Lessing
In a personal meditation on family,
war, and memory, the author
re-imagines the lives of her parents if
World War I had not happened, and
relates the facts of their lives in the
wake of the war’s devastation.
NONFICTION
The First World War
by John Keegan
A compact single volume history of
the war.
The War That Ended Peace
by Margaret MacMillan
Presents a narrative portrait of Europe
in the years leading up to World War I
that illuminates the political, cultural,
and economic factors and
personalities which shaped major
events.
The Great War and Modern
Memory
by Paul Fussell
An illuminating look at a war that
changed a generation and changed the
way we see the world.
The Guns of August
by Barbara Tuchman
A history of the month leading up to
war and the first month of war, 1914.
A Storm in Flanders
by Winston Groom
A study of World War I’s infamous
Battle of Ypres.
Castles of Steel: Britain, Germany,
and the winning of the Great War
at sea.
by Robert Massie
Examines the role of sea power in
winning the Great War.
The World Crisis 1911-1918
by Winston Churchill
A recounting of the major campaigns
of World War I. One of the single
greatest histories written of the Great
War.
ON VIDEO/DVD
The Lost Battalion
An American Battalion of 500 men
get trapped behind enemy lines in the
Argonne Forest October 1918.
Sgt. York
A religious man’s moral crisis,
heroics and subsequent return to the
rural life he loved, refusing to
capitalize on the adulation heaped
upon him.
The First World War: The
Complete Series.
Definitive ten part series offers insight
and analysis to provide a coherent and
strategic military narrative.
F URTHER READING / V IEWING
ON THE WEB
National World War I Museum at
Liberty Memorial
http://theworldwar.org
T HE G REAT W AR
The Great War or as we know it today World War I, began on July 28 th
1914 when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. A month earlier on June
28th, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, was assassinated by Yugoslav
nationalist Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo. What ensued was Austria-Hungary firing
the first shots of the invasion of Serbia. Opposing alliances were formed and the
major powers of the world were thrown into conflict; the Allies consisting of
Britain, France and Russia and the Central Powers of Germany and AustriaHungary. As the war intensified alliances were reorganized to include Italy, Japan
and the United States joining the Allies and the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria
siding with the Central Powers.
In the fall of 1914, Germany
WORLD WAR I
would fight a two front war, invading
neutral Belgium and Luxembourg on its
65,038,810
way to invade France. This led Britain
to declare war on Germany and forced
Total Mobilized Forces
bloody trench warfare. Meanwhile, on
the Eastern Front, Russia was successful
37,466,904
in beating back the Austro-Hungarian
Total
Casualties: Killed,
army, but would confront resistance
Wounded,
Missing.
along East Prussia by the Germans. Late
in 1914, the Ottoman Empire waged war
along the Caucasus, Mesopotamia and
UNITED S TATES
Sinai. In 1915, Italy and Bulgaria went
to war and Romania entered in 1916.
4,743,826
The United States would continue to
Number
Serving
declare neutrality, not wanting to commit ground troops in Europe but rather
323,018
trying to make peace.
On May 7, 1915 a German
Total Casualties: Killed,
U-boat sank the British liner Lusitania.
Wounded , Missing.
Although 128 Americans were among
the dead, President Woodrow Wilson demanded an end to unrestricted submarine
warfare. Wilson would be reelected in 1916 primarily because of supporters
backing Wilson’s insistence of keeping the United States out of the war.
Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare in early 1917 and
through the Zimmermann Telegram, the German Foreign Minister urged Mexico
to join the war along with Germany against the United States. British intelligence
intercepted the telegram and it ultimately was placed on the desk of Woodrow
Wilson; resulting in the calling for a declaration of war on Germany April 6, 1917.
Thus the United States military mobilized and entered the war in France.
The collapse of the Russian government in March 1917 and the
revolution in November resulted in peace terms with the Central Powers. In
November 1918, Austria-Hungary agreed to an armistice and after the Germans
offensive along the western front was stopped by Allied forces Germany reached
an armistice on November 11, 1918.
June 28—Archduke Franz Ferdinand assassinated.
July 28—Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia.
August 1-3—Germany declares war on Russia and France.
August 4—Germany invades Belgium.
August 4—Great Britain joins Allies.
September 5—10—Allies turn back German forces at first
battle of the Marne.
October 31—First Battle of Ypres.
December 25—Christmas truce observed on Western Front.
1915
April 22-May 25 —Poison gas used for first time at Second
Battle of Ypres.
February—Submarine warfare begins.
May 7—German submarine sinks British ocean liner Lusitania.
August 4 —President Wilson declares he will keep America
out of war.
1916
February 21—French suffer losses at the Battle of Verdun.
April 1—The Escadrille Americaine, later the Lafayette
Escadrille is formed mostly of American volunteers.
May 10—President Wilson calls for Germany to stop
submarine warfare.
June 24—Battle of the Somme begins.
1917
February 3—U.S. severs diplomatic relations with Germany.
April 6—U.S. declares war on Germany.
June 25—First American troops reach France.
July 31-Nov. 10—British launch Third Battle of Ypres
October 21—First American combat soldiers killed.
1918
May 28—Americans win at Battle of Cantigny.
June 6—U.S. Marines drive Germans out of Belleau Wood.
July 18—Allies turn back Central Powers at Chateau-Thierry.
July 18-Aug. 5—Allies defeat German forces at Battle of Aisne
-Marne.
September 12-16—Battle of St. Mihiel.
September 26—Mause-Argonne offensive begins.
November 11—Germany signs Armistice.
1919
July 9—Treaty of Versailles signed, officially ending the
Great War.
THE WORLD ERUPTS IN WAR
THE WAR TO END ALL WARS!
1914
T HE G REAT W AR
EXPLORE MORE!
ILLINOIS
AND
LOCAL
KANKAKEE AREA SITES
DEDICATED
TO
OUR
DOUGHBOYS AND OTHER
VETERANS OF FOREIGN
WARS
WHO
FOUGHT
“OVER THERE!”
The Kankakee County Museum — 801 S. 8th Ave. Kankakee, IL 60901
Phone 815-932-5279. Explore the museum exhibits related to local
Kankakee area veterans who served our country! Museum hours: Tue-Fri.
10 a.m.— 4 p.m. Sat. 1 p.m.— 4p.m.
http://www.kankakeecountymuseum.com/Site_2/Home.html
Manteno Historical Society — 192 West Third Street. Manteno, IL 60950
Houses a collection commemorating Manteno war veterans. Featuring
uniforms and memorabilia from World War I thru the Present. Museum
hours: First Saturday of each month 1 p.m. — 3 p.m.
http://www.mantenohistoricalsociety.org/
Manteno Legion Park — Corner of 3rd and Main St. Manteno, IL 60950.
Owned and operated by the Manteno American Legion Post 755. Includes
memorial wall to local veterans of World War I and II, stone monuments
commemorating all foreign wars, military cannons from WWI and WWII
are on display.
Kasler Veterans Memorial Park — 2nd Street and Momence Junior High.
Momence, IL. Includes five flags representing each branch of the military.
At the center of the octagon-shaped memorial is a life-sized bronze statue of
Air Force Colonel Jim Kasler of Momence, who is the only three-time
recipient of the Air Force Cross, the second highest award for wartime
valor. Currently there are over 350 plaques displayed at the park.
The Pritzker Military Museum & Library — 104 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago,
IL. 60603. Phone 312-374-9333. Home to thousands of artifacts, posters,
photographs, maps and manuscripts. Museum Hours: Tue.-Thurs. 10
a.m.— 6 p.m. Fri.-Sat. 10 a.m. — 4 p.m.
http://www.pritzkermilitary.org/explore/museum/overview/
First Division Museum at Cantigny — 1S151 Winfield Road. Wheaton, IL
60189-3353. An immersive and stimulating museum along with tens of
thousands of artifacts awaits your exploration. Museum Hours: May 1st —
October 31st Open Tue.-Sun. 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. Other hours throughout the
calendar year.
http://www.firstdivisionmuseum.org/
Rock Island Arsenal Museum — 1 Rock Island Arsenal Building 60 Rock
Island , IL 61299-5000. Phone 309-782-5021. The primary mission is to
collect, preserve, and interpret the history of Rock Island Arsenal and
Arsenal Island. The exhibits tell the story of the people involved in Arsenal
Island’s history, the manufacturing processes used at Rock Island Arsenal,
and the military equipment that was produced at Rock Island Arsenal.
Museum hours: Tue.-Sat. 12 p.m. — 4 p.m.
http://www.arsenalhistoricalsociety.org/museum/
Illinois State Military Museum, Illinois National Guard — 1301 North
MacArthur Blvd. Springfield, IL 62702-2399.
Phone 217-761-3910.
Preserves and exhibits the military heritage of the Illinois National Guard.
Museum hours: Tue.-Sat. 1 p.m. — 4:30 p.m.
The DuSable Museum of African American History — 740 East 56th Place.
Chicago, IL 60637. Phone 773-947-0600. Featuring more than 100 artifacts,
objects, images and documents. “Red, White, Blue & Black: A History of
Blacks in the Armed Forces” highlights the museums permanent collection
of militaria. Divided into seven historical areas: Revolutionary War;
American Civil War; Westward Expansion and the Spanish American War;
World War I; World War II; the Korean War; and Vietnam War. Museum
hours: Tue.-Sat. 10 a.m. — 5 p.m. Sun. 12 p.m. — 5 p.m.
www.dusablemuseum.org
T HE G REAT W AR
O
VER T HERE !
United States Enters the Fight
T HE G REAT W AR ON S CREEN
KANKAKEE AREA LIBRARY
“IT
GRIPS YOUR HEART
WITH HEROISM, PATHOS,
CONFLICT, TENDERNESS.
AN
EPIC FRIENDSHIP”
ALL QUIET ON THE
WESTERN FRONT
BY
ERICH MARIA REMARQUE
GREATER THAN THE BOOK.
SUNDAY MATINEE
Paramount Theater
213 N. Schuyler Avenue
Kankakee, IL
October 5th, 2014
Start time
1:00 p.m.
Admission: $5.50 at the door.
The Kankakee Area Library Association
promotes cooperation and enhances library
service among school, college, public and
special libraries within Kankakee County and
surrounding areas.
Public Libraries
Bourbonnais Public Library
250 W. John Casey Rd.
Bourbonnais, IL 60914
(815) 933-1727
www.bourbonnaislibrary.org
Bradley Public Library
296 N. Fulton Ave.
Bradley, IL 60915
(815) - 932-6245
www.bradleylibrary.org
Kankakee Public Library
201 E. Merchant St.
Kankakee, IL 60901
(815) 939-4564
www.lions-online.org
Limestone Township Library
2701 W. Tower Rd.
Kankakee, IL 60901
(815) 939-1696
www.limestonelibrary.org
Manteno Public Library
10 S. Walnut St.
Manteno, IL 60950
(815) 468-3323
www.mantenolibrary.org
Peotone Public Library
515 N. First St.
Peotone, IL 60468
(708)258-3436
www.peotonelibrary.org
Clifton Public Library
150 E. 4th Ave.
(815) 694-2069
Clifton, IL 60927
www.cliftonlibrary.info
Pembroke Public Library
13795 E. Central St.
Hopkins Park, IL. 60944
(815) 944-8609
College & School Libraries
Bourbonnais SD 53
www.besd53.org
Olivet Nazarene University
http://library.olivet.edu
Bishop McNamara SD
www.bishopmac.com
Momence CUSD 1
www.momence.k12.il.us
Kankakee SD 111
Www.k111.k12.il.us
Kankakee Community College
Www.kcc.edu/library
Peotone SD
www.peotoneschools.org
Bradley SD 61
www.bradleyschools.com
Bradley-Bourbonnais SD 307
Www.bbchs.org/library
Manteno CUSD 5
www.manteno5.org
Herscher SD
www.hsd2.k12.il.us
Credits: Cover: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20342449-all-quiet-on-the-western-front?
Page 2: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20342449-all-quiet-on-the-western-front?
from_search=true; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Erich_Maria_Remarque1.jpg; http://www.remarque.uni
-osnabrueck.de/internet.htm Page 3: http://www.randomhouse.com/rhpg/rc/2013/09/17/reading-guide-allquiet-on-the-western-front-by-erich-maria-remarque Page 4: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I;
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_in_World_War_I Page 6: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/
images/tlc0090.jpg; Library of Congress, photo by H.D. Gridwood Page 7: Library of Congress, photo by
H.D. Gridwood Page 8: http://movies.film-cine.com/all_quiet_on_the_western_front-m109