On Killing
The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
by Dave Grossman
Should I read this?
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in Military, Most Recommended Books, and Psychology.
The revised and updated edition of Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's modern classic, hailed by the Washington Post as "an illuminating account of how soldiers learn to kill and how they live with the experiences of having killed." The good news is that most soldiers are loath to kill. But armies have developed sophisticated ways of overcoming this instincti...
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Why recommended
Recommended by 2 sources and appears in Military, Most Recommended Books, and Psychology.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Noah Kagan
“I really enjoy military books. This is a fascinating book about if military people kill as much as you think.”
Appears In

Not sure if this is the right fit?
Consider The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. Recommended by 8 sources.
“Soft-spoken, heavily illustrated fable built from short dialogues and watercolor sketches. Each spread pairs a spare line of text with a loose drawing, so the pleasure is visual and aphoristic rather than narrative; readers collect felt-true sentences more than plot. Most useful when you want quick consolations, a prompt for conversation with a child, or a pause during a rough day. Limiting if you want sustained argument, concrete advice, or tightly plotted storytelling: the repetition of gentleness can feel sentimental or thin after a while.”
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Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.
On Killing
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