Point Regarding Books Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
| Title | : | Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles |
| Author | : | Anthony Swofford |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Deluxe Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 260 pages |
| Published | : | November 11th 2005 by Scribner (first published February 2003) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. War. Military Fiction. Autobiography. Memoir. History. Biography |
Representaion To Books Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
Anthony Swofford's Jarhead is the first Gulf War memoir by a frontline infantry marine, and it is a searing, unforgettable narrative.When the marines -- or "jarheads," as they call themselves -- were sent in 1990 to Saudi Arabia to fight the Iraqis, Swofford was there, with a hundred-pound pack on his shoulders and a sniper's rifle in his hands. It was one misery upon another. He lived in sand for six months, his girlfriend back home betrayed him for a scrawny hotel clerk, he was punished by boredom and fear, he considered suicide, he pulled a gun on one of his fellow marines, and he was shot at by both Iraqis and Americans. At the end of the war, Swofford hiked for miles through a landscape of incinerated Iraqi soldiers and later was nearly killed in a booby-trapped Iraqi bunker.
Swofford weaves this experience of war with vivid accounts of boot camp (which included physical abuse by his drill instructor), reflections on the mythos of the marines, and remembrances of battles with lovers and family. As engagement with the Iraqis draws closer, he is forced to consider what it is to be an American, a soldier, a son of a soldier, and a man.
Unlike the real-time print and television coverage of the Gulf War, which was highly scripted by the Pentagon, Swofford's account subverts the conventional wisdom that U.S. military interventions are now merely surgical insertions of superior forces that result in few American casualties. Jarhead insists we remember the Americans who are in fact wounded or killed, the fields of smoking enemy corpses left behind, and the continuing difficulty that American soldiers have reentering civilian life.
A harrowing yet inspiring portrait of a tormented consciousness struggling for inner peace, Jarhead will elbow for room on that short shelf of American war classics that includes Philip Caputo's A Rumor of War and Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried, and be admired not only for the raw beauty of its prose but also for the depth of its pained heart.
Identify Books As Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
| Original Title: | Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles |
| ISBN: | 0743287215 (ISBN13: 9780743287210) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Literary Awards: | PEN/Martha Albrand Award for the Art of the Memoir (2004) |
Rating Regarding Books Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
Ratings: 3.66 From 8733 Users | 601 ReviewsCommentary Regarding Books Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
{Warning: Strong language} Once upon a time I read a review of the book Jarhead, by Anthony Swofford, which peaked my interest. DH Jeff was thoughtful enough to pick me up a copy. I'm glad he's not a marine, or at least anyone like Mr. Swofford. Honestly, I kept thinking, "what a horse's a-- this guy (Swofford) is." And, did I need any reminders that so many of our young marines will screw anything around - and I do mean anything? Especially while they're bemoaning their unfaithful women atA very effective, intimate story of war as told from the point of view of a grunt.
This is by no means an explicitly anti-war novel. Its more an honest account and because the honest truth is that war is vicious and atrocious, an anti-war message cannot be hidden except through lies.Anthony Swofford was a U.S. sniper during the first Gulf War and Jarhead tells his story of life in the Marines and fighting in this war. His whole experience in coloured by power-hungry and vicious officers, rowdy nights out with fellow Marines and of course, the in your face brutality of killing
This is not an easy book to read. That doesn't mean it isn't well-written, which it is, or that it lacks action, because it doesn't. Instead, it is an often uncomfortable book. It dispels the illusion we all harbor to one degree or another that war is noble and that warriors are likewise noble. Instead, Swofford recounts his own experience in the Marine Corps, first as a line grunt in training and then as a member of the elite Surveillance and Target Acquisition Platoon (that is, a member of the
Jarhead is a very realistic imagery story about being a Marine during the Gulf War, and the effect the war had on them. I rated Jarhead with a 3 because it was an exciting story, but didn't give a very good image for the Marine Corps. It made all soldiers look like drunks who have no self-control and didn't care about American values in any way, when in reality, most soldiers don't feel this way at all.This book has quite a few strengths; it is exciting, and catches your attention quickly. The
A few years ago I watched the movie Jarhead and was pleased to find the book was much better. I don't think this book is for everyone, but speaking for myself it is among the best autobiographies I have come across, regardless of the style or subject matter. Rather than sell his story or this work, I'd like to respond to two of the general themes that I see in the reviews. First, I feel the book was very carefully organized, perhaps I could say crafted. Swofford does not tell his story strictly
I liked both the book and the movie.
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