The Book Report (4 & 5)
Title- On Killing / On Combat
Author– Lt. Col. Dave Grossman
Type– Nonfiction / Psychology, Military, Violence
ISBN– On Killing: 978-0316040938 / On Combat: 978-0964920545
Purchase Links– On Killing Amazon / B&N – On Combat Amazon / B&N
Description– On Killing/Combat covers the psychological impact of violence upon solders, the military techniques developed to make individuals more capable of killing/violence and the effort to return that potential to baseline, eliminate PTSD, and negative emotional effects from having participated in violent combat.
Importance/Utility– Beyond the obvious benefit of understanding how violence and trauma can effect individuals and how to develop methods to prevent or mitigate those effects personally and within an organization, the lessons within these texts can be used to understand how big tech, media, and politicians use military training methods (such as dehumanization) to pit citizens of differing ideologies against one another in a fashion that foments violence.
Rating– 10/10 I feel the lessons within these two books are essential for anyone who is in a professions where violence is a possibility, anyone who believes in self defense, or anyone who is looking to better understand what might be going on in the minds of the police we see cast as villains on the nightly news.
Recommended Format– Digital format is probably the most cost effective at this time as all of Grossman’s books seem to be out of print which has lead to new/used copies running in the $20.00 range. If you find a used copy for a fair price it may be better in physical form as the books do have several graphs.
One reply on “The Book Report 4 & 5 – On Killing & On Combat”
I second this recommendation. Col. Grossman is required reading for anyone who may have to deal with use-of-force policy or is responsible for the care of those in the front lines. The ideas discussed can be taken in several directions, which Grossman does here and elsewhere, including the benevolent intent to care for those who have had to use force in the line of duty, the utilitarian training of individuals to be less hesitant to use force when called for in the line of duty, and the malevolent effects of entertainment violence (especially realistic first-person-shooter games) in psychologically preparing children to kill.
There are now more and newer studies and writing on the subject, but this is the foundation.