Customer Reviews

The Gun that Changed the World

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Although, I only came upon this book by chance, and read it out of curiosity, I can see it falling short of the expectations of those who are serious firearms or military enthusiasts. Despite the title, this book is less a story of the AK-47, and more the story of its designer, Mikhail Kalashnikov. It follows him from his childhood during which he and his family were expelled to the fringes of Soviet civilization, through his service during World War II, and finally life surrounding his work as a weapons designer. As it is written in first-person based on interviews with Kalashnikov, the narration seems only loosely edited and has a tendancy to go astray in presenting the inventor's views on politics, people he likes and dislikes, and his constant humble reminders of the honors bestowed upon him for his design. While I found all of this fascinating, the relatively short length (150 pages) leaves the AK-47 as little more than an afterthought in context to the other events of Kalashnikov's life.
The book also has a tendancy to repeat Kalashnikov's tiresome disclaimer that he has never actually seen any royalties from sales of his weapon (he never applied for a patent), nor does he endorse the ubiquitous nature of the AK-47 as the weapon of choice for terrorist organizations.
Overall, this is a compelling and quick read for those with any interest in one of the finest weapons in military history, but its content and narration may be more suitable for a television program.

The title of this book is somewhat misleading. It's not a book about the Gun that changed the world, but about the designer of the gun that changed the world. It's basically composed of discussions with Mikhail Kalashnikov.

We see a lot of biographies of people in the US or England. We don't see much of people who were born in Stalinist Russia before World War II, was sent to the Gulag with his family, was wounded in battle and wound up receiving awards from the president of Russia. It's a story of life in a society so far from what we know that it is difficult to imagine.

Interspersed throughout the book are comments on the AK-47. But comments about how a change was made in the design of the breechblock are just as frequent as comments about the impact of the gun on the world scene. There are other books that cover the gun better than this one. But this is the story of the man behind the gun, and it's a fascinating story.

This book is not really about the gun, but about the person. I highly recommend it. You will get a better understanding of what it means to be a Russian, and how Russians felt and lived under Communism.

Kalashinikov's novel entitled "The Gun That Changed the World" is a marvel indeed. It explores notions of the rifle that have never been explored before. He speaks about his past, he speaks about his present and gives hints towards the future of his product. Excellent novel, personal touches to historical events are always interesting and give another perspective to war.