Rating: 
Summary: The real Gulf War
Review: Jarhead is a compelling account of life in the Marines during the time of the Gulf War. Anthony Swofford is a sensitive and perceptive narrator whose experiences left him rather bitter. This book has received some negative reviews simply because Swofford tells us things about life in the military that conflict with the romanticized notions we get from the government, media and John Wayne movies. Swofford's reactions to his environment are rather ambivalent. His emotions range from patriotic fervor, which makes him eager to kill the enemy, to detached cynicism about the real motives for the war. This kind of ambivalence is probably the natural reaction of a person with any intelligence to a basically insane situation such as war. Swofford's recollections of the severity of boot camp will be familiar to not only veterans but anyone who has seen any war movies. While most movies are fictionalized, however, this book is reality and this comes through on every page. The function of the military, and the Marines in particular, is to turn ordinary people into obedient killing machines. This is not a value judgment, but simply a fact. The ideal soldier is one who does not question anything. From this perspective, Swofford is not an ideal Marine, for he often questions the wisdom, ethics and sanity of what is going on around him. He does not only refrain from sugarcoating the military, but he does not flinch from revealing less than flattering examples of his own behavior. He gives an account, for example, of threatening a new recruit with a loaded gun and bringing him to tears in retaliation for an accidental offense. Much of the book deals with Swofford's experiences leading up to his enlistment in the Marines. There is not all that much information about the Gulf War itself, but then there wasn't all that much to tell from the point of view of the individual soldier. The war was very brief with few American casualties. Yet, Swofford makes us realize that this did not in any way diminish the terror of those on the battlefield who knew they could die at any instant. He also gives harrowing accounts of Iraqi casualties, the kind of gruesome details routinely omitted from mass media reports. Swofford left the Gulf War in an angry and bitter state, not welcoming the hero status that his medals and the welcoming home town crowds bestowed upon him. It does seem that he brought some of his problems into the military and that the Marines cannot be blamed for all of his inner turmoil. Yet in some ways his "bad attitude" probably made him more able to see certain realities that other "better adjusted" recruits deliberately blinded themselves to. Swofford concludes that the Gulf War was fought, not for the interests of the average citizens of America, Kuwait or Saudi Arabia, but for politicians, Arab royalty and oil companies. To some this might seem cynical, but the reasons that lie behind wars are usually rather cynical. Swofford's observations are a refreshing violation of the usual admonitions to "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain."
Rating: 
Summary: Wow - is this what we're teaching our young men?
Review: Great book. I could not put it down. Very compelling read for 101 reasons. I discussed this book with a friend who is a Marine officer and he got very disturbed in hearing about it. Some "he-man" code of honor, I suppose, beckons Marines to keep quiet about the dark side of this aspect of military life. If 25% of "Jarhead's" comments are true, the Marines need to completely revamp their training programs. While the book was an interesting read, it was also pretty disturbing to think that our tax dollars are TRAINING men to be belligerent, intolerant, angry and reckless.
Rating: 
Summary: I was disappointed
Review: A friend loaned me the unabridged book on tape. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. It seemed to me like Swofford started whining right from the start. He told us numerous times that joining the Marines was the worst mistake he'd ever made. I agree, and think the Marines would agree too. He certainly didn't seem to bring any positive energy to the table. We were treated to lots of "other battles" and little Gulf War, but always, whining. In short, I would simply not recommend this book to anyone, though I'm sure there are others out there like Swofford who might enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: A patriotic female's perspective
Review: No, I have never been in the military nor have I fought in any wars. Therefore, I will truly never know those experiences. However, since reading "Jarhead", I have made it a serious point to read the accounts and stories of American soldiers and the wars they fight. I wanted to experience everything and, hopefully, to try and grasp a tiny bit of what it must be like and what they endure. Anthony Swofford's story made me cry (at times uncontrollably), shocked me, made me laugh, excited me, made me sad and angry at times; but mostly, it made me feel the horrors and fear of war, and the jobs these soldiers must do and even want to do in some cases. I truly felt the bond the author had with others in the book. I felt a bond with him myself. I could actually feel the testosterone flowing throughout this book. I was moved and amazed at the honesty and frank talk regarding fidelity and infidelity, and what it is like from a man's point of view. This book always kept provoking my mind and heart into areas I have never been before. I believe I understand the solider much more than I ever could have imagine. Also, what I have considered a bonus...I feel I may actually have a better understanding of men and what it is like to be a man by my experience with this book. Although, I have no idea what affect, if any, this will have on future relationships. Hopefully, it will be positive.
Rating:
Summary: I read this book in one sitting (more or less)
Review: I've read many of the negative reviews of this book and I can certainly understand them. Not everyone who's issued a uniform is a hero and this book paints a very unflattering picture of the Marine Corps. If you can't bear the thought of that, don't read it. Personally, I really identified with Swofford. I don't regard him as a "troubled youth" or some sort of victim. I think it's a pretty honest assessment of how Gen-Xers were raised. Like Swofford, I never thought that life would get better growing up. That theme is a conistent undercurrent of Swofford's story and our upbringing. I believe that this will someday be regarded as one of the definitive books of Generation X.
Rating:
Summary: Swofford is a DIRTBAG!!!!
Review: Tony Swofford spends most of the book discussing his emotional problems growing up as an Air Force brat and then details the chicanery he pulled in an attempt to get kicked out of the Marines. While he's "pouring out his heart," he continually jumps back and forth to his Gulf deployment (Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm). Very poorly written. Overall I found this book to be 257 pages of pure and unadulterated CRAP about a self-centered jerk. It is not worthy enough to be compared with other USMC books such as, "A Rumor of War," "With the Old Breed," "One Tough Marine," or "Marine!" just as Mr. Swofford isn't worthy enough to call himself a Marine. This is the first book for which I ADAMANTLY AND VOCIFEROUSLY DEMAND A REFUND. NOT WORTHY OF ANY STARS.
Rating:
Summary: Antidote to the Greatest Generation War Story
Review: Like any experience, there is no one Marine Corp experience. This is definitely not the book for someone like my father-in-law who believes his time in the Marines were the best years of his life. Nor is this a book for someone looking for a shoot'm up boy's adventure story. Jarhead is not a light read. This is a book for serious readers. Unfortunatley, it is a book that most readers will not have the education nor subtlness of thought to understand. For many, this story will only be a red flag of encitement. Just look at the Amazon reviews. I liked the book because Anthony Swafford is painfully honest. He paints a poor picture Marine Corp and he does not spare himself in this portrait. He is every bit as stupid and base as the people around him. Like it or not, this is Swafford's take on his time in the Corp. Its honest and well written and that is all you can ask for. For all those who enjoy another take on the young man coming of age during wartime story, check out Christian Jenning's Mouthful of Rocks, another painfully honest antidote to the greatest generation type of military autobiography. This book is recommended for the serious reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Lughead Revenge
Review: Is it just me or do all books detailing a soldiers combat experience either fall into the solid and detailed account or the raw experience of battle type book? This book was defiantly in the raw and gritty type. I also have a sneaking suspicion that this book was either rushed out the door or held back for some time until the recent war heated up to give the book a bigger bounce once it hit the shops. Let me tell you up front that I was disappointed with the effort. What we got was about 25% military / Gulf War info, 25% life history of the author and 50% review of all things vulgar that you would think a 20 year old soldier would talk about. I guess that is why this book was described on the dust jacket as gritty and raw, I just found it played to the lowest common denominator. When the author was not complaining about his love life or working out the issues he had with his father or brother, he was talking about the many different ways and issues with going to the bathroom in the different locations he has been posted. You know I do not even think this book would appeal to a group of adolescents who want to be soldiers, because of the overriding depressive writing, nothing in this guy's life was positive. About the only interesting thing he brought to the table were 5 new combinations of swear words I had not heard before. I wanted an interesting account of what the war was like for a guy on the ground at the front line. I guess I will need to keep searching for this book, because what little info I gleamed out of the book is overshadowed by the overall downer the book was to read.
Rating:
Summary: Superb book!
Review: I've noticed too many people cry about how what Swofford is writing is not true and how he's the bottom 10% of the garbage they describe. Well, I'm sure that when they too go to work, they are what they are describing. Swofford depicts exactly what the military is all about. Extremely well written--of course because he's a graduate of Iowa's Writers' Workshop. It's the sad truth about military life, and unfortunately the people who give the bad reviews and have served in the military, well, you were probably part of the 40% that had your nose buried in the officers you know what. If you want to know the truth about military life and what it's really all about, read the book.
Rating:
Summary: An Absolutely Terrible Book !
Review: Swofford has himself confused with a narrative writer (someone who organizes and communicates a coherent body of experiential information). According to the duskjacket he has taught at several colleges and had his works appear in major literary publications but one would imagine this book to be the stream of consciousness ravings of a junior high school male. If this book is to believed, the only thing established as fact is that Swofford is the guy you pray gets assigned as far away from yourself as possible. Skip this book.
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