Jarhead--Anthony Swofford

[houseelf]

Swofford's autobiographical account of his experience as a Marine during the first Gulf War exposes a coming of age for a young American male. The book talks about how he was first drawn to the Marines at a young age because of identification of the Corps as all things masculine and adult. He realizes early in boot camp that the gloss of the Corps disguises illogical leadership, sometimes abusive procedures, and a disregard for the individuals serving in the ranks. Many of the Marines express dismay about the inescapable attitudes and stereotypes associated with the machismo identity that they automatically assume through their enlistment. Many characters refer to the Corps as "the Suck" and exhibit a love hate relationship with the Corps.

Still, the author's account is not a scathing pro-peace/anti-war account like so many other personal stories of service during a war time. The author tells his story just as it happened, with many facets going unexplained. In simple terms, he accepts his time as what it was.

Part of the book leaves the reader wanting to know more, like his allusions to his somewhat dysfunctional family life. I wanted to know if this compelled him to take such road in order to find an identity. My only other critique is that the story has no real ending to tie it all together and make sense of the story just related. In the end, however, I found his story to a compelling account of his own humanity.

Kelly