James's review
Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
James's review
rating:
recommended for: people interested in the military
status: Read in December, 2007
rating:
recommended for: people interested in the military
status: Read in December, 2007
This is a memoir from a marine sniper who has mixed feelings about his time in service, which included the first Gulf War.
It's better than the movie - it's well written(sparsely) and evocative. Most of the narrative though, fits the well worn cliches of the marines hammered into us by films like "Full Metal Jacket". It's more tempered by realism here (there is an incident during the narrator's training where a marine drill sergeant who engages in physical violence against his trainees is reprimanded) but of course this type of realistic subtlety didn't make it into the film.
I actually watched the movie with an ex-marine who had been in the Gulf War and he didn't like the movie at all, said it was b.s. Dunno what other marines think.
It's better than the movie - it's well written(sparsely) and evocative. Most of the narrative though, fits the well worn cliches of the marines hammered into us by films like "Full Metal Jacket". It's more tempered by realism here (there is an incident during the narrator's training where a marine drill sergeant who engages in physical violence against his trainees is reprimanded) but of course this type of realistic subtlety didn't make it into the film.
I actually watched the movie with an ex-marine who had been in the Gulf War and he didn't like the movie at all, said it was b.s. Dunno what other marines think.
