On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society by Dave Grossman argues that the act of killing has not been dealt with by military historians. That the resistance to kill is something that is central to the experience of soldiers. He makes the case through use of Marshall's Men Against Fire "research" and other studies. I'm pretty sure I've made my feelings about Marshall clear so I'll leave that aside. The book is very useful in how it breaks down the act of killing into a series of reactions. There's also some interesting stuff about the psychological aspects [although perhaps he goes too far linking it with sex]. What I found frustrating was the larger apparatus around this discussion. Much of the book is polemical Grossman for instance argues that PTSD is caused because of the resistance to kill and the stress that is engendered. Strange I've read of cases of PTSD from those who were in natural disasters. Who are they trying to kill? The book also concludes with a rant against video games.

I can't really recommend this there's too much bad research but it is certainly interesting. This is a revised edition it's unclear how much is different from the previous one.

Not recommended

Note: this was provided by the publisher for review.