Jarhead (Magill’s Literary Annual 2004)
At a glance:
- Author: Anthony Swofford
- First Published: 2003
- Type of Work: Memoir
- Time of Work: 1987-1991
- Setting: Marine Corps bases in the United States and elsewhere, and positions on the front lines in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
- Principal Characters: Swoffie, Burke, Swoffie’s father, Kristina, Ellie Bows Dettmann
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir
- Subjects: United States or Americans, Twentieth century, Mental illness, Violence, War, Death or dying, Loyalty, Military life or service, Middle East, Guns, Persian Gulf War, Iraq or Iraqi people, Kuwait or Kuwaiti people
- Locales: United States, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait
One of a growing number of Gulf War memoirs, Anthony Swofford’s Jarhead earned considerable critical attention when it was first published. Reviews of the book have been generally positive, with most reviewers praising Swofford’s ability to construct a gripping and powerful narrative without bogging down in too much detail. Indeed, Swofford skillfully describes the sometimes horrifying, sometimes hilarious, often disgusting lives of the marines he knew. Not all reviewers have been so positive. Several have criticized Swofford’s apparent tendency toward self-pity and...
[The entire page is 1857 words long]
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