The Guns of August

What an intense book. It's a real lesson in how quickly things can get out of control and how absolutely devastating the consequences can be. The scale of the world wars is unfathomable and hearing about how the soldiers were suffering, when not outright decimated, is a chilling reminder. 

The most striking part for me: how fast things spiraled and how blind the leadership was to what they were unleashing. And knowing what came after (WWII, nukes, Cold War, etc.) makes it even heavier.