Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles - Picture 1 of 1

Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford (2003, Hardcover)

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Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Swofford, Anthony May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less

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Anthony Swofford'sJarheadis 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.Jarheadinsists 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,Jarheadwill elbow for room on that short shelf of American war classics that includes Philip Caputo'sA Rumor of Warand Tim O'Brien'sThe Things They Carried,and be admired not only for the raw beauty of its prose but also for the depth of its pained heart.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
Scribner
ISBN-10
0743235355
ISBN-13
9780743235358
eBay Product ID (ePID)
2298729

Product Key Features

Book Title
Jarhead : a Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
Number of Pages
272 Pages
Language
English
Publication Year
2003
Topic
Military / United States, General, Military / Persian Gulf War (1991), Military
Genre
Biography & Autobiography, History
Author
Anthony Swofford
Format
Hardcover

Dimensions

Item Height
1.1 in
Item Weight
16.3 Oz
Item Length
9.4 in
Item Width
6.3 in

Additional Product Features

Dewey Edition
21
Reviews
Jonathan Shay, M.D., Ph.D.Author of Odysseus in America and Achilles in VietnamThis memoir is not pretty -- but veined with beauty. It is as outrageous, irreverent, funny, and obscene as an Aristophanes comedy, and as rich in pain and moral understanding as the Iliad. Anthony Swofford: remember this name., Chris OffuttAuthor of No Heroes: A Memoir of Coming HomeJarhead tells us why boys go to war and how they return as men, told by someone who truly knows the perils of battle -- a decorated veteran of the Gulf War. Anthony Swofford's courageous and lyric prose is matched by a searing personal honesty that will break your heart with its compassion. He reveals the inner life of a marine from boot camp to bombardment, to victory and peace. Like all great memoirs of war, humanity is at stake instead of politics. Anthony Swofford entered his adult life as a warrior, but has emerged as an artist of the highest order. This book is a great achievement. Everyone should read it., William BoydAuthor of Any Human HeartA scathingly honest and bleakly powerful book. A hugely disturbing insight into the minds of the very young men who long to go to war., Joy WilliamsThis is a book that smokes and screams in your hands. With a sniper's cold and unforgiving eye, Swofford has found the nexus between nihilism and language, a language ripped, homegrown, American-made, trashy and lyrical and bold. He hits the troubling, difficult mark again and again in this remarkable memoir. Brash, honest, and most unnerving, Jarhead delivers coruscating and unpleasant truths about war and warriors., Scott AndersonWar journalist and author of Triage and The Man Who Tried to Save the World: The Dangerous Life and Mysterious Disappearance of Fred CunySwofford's Jarhead is not just the finest memoir to emerge from Operation Desert Storm but one of the most honest and compelling accounts of men at arms in a generation. With a keen eye and biting wit, Swofford has rendered the true face of the battlefield -- what it looks and sounds and tastes like -- as only one who has been there can. In an age when politicians are again talking about good and just wars, Jarhead should be required reading for all those who would believe them.
Lccn
2002-030866
Target Audience
Trade
Dewey Decimal
956.7044/245
Lc Classification Number
Ds79.74.S96 2003
Copyright Date
2003

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4.4

4.4 out of 5 stars based on 7 product ratings

7 product ratings

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5 out of 5 stars
by triumphchapJan 10, 2013
Jarhead Is An Awesome Non-Fiction Book!
A true story told from the author's first person perspective. Jarhead:A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford is a very hard hitting look at what he endured as a young Marine fighting in the first gulf war in 1991. It takes you right to the front lines of battle in Iraq as american forces fought Saddam Hussein's troops in an all out effort to liberate our ally Kuwait from Iraqi occupation. Swofford pulls no punches in conveying the blood, sweat, tears and pain of battle hardened Marine grunts during their combat ordeals. I enjoyed reading his tell all autobiography and all military veterans will find this book to be both riveting and entertaining overall. A definite recommendation!
5 out of 5 stars
by c4orsf2mt6y@del...Apr 08, 2014
Great service. I almost had a duck when it came in the mail!
I'll be honest. I've heard some people say this book is totally inaccurate, and I've heard others say it's just like real life. I cannot tell you either but I can sure say this: This is the most fun book to read I have ever had!!! I loved reading about the breakdowns, the rawness, the realness . . . just the stories are great! Everything Swofford says takes you deep into another depth. It's like he's letting you live it with him. The tragedies and sadness make the story feel real because there's no "fake happily ever after" feeling to it. And the parts about women and friends, "Dear John" letters, the anticipation of hearing from the one back home . . . they all feel exactly real. This man takes us into his life when all he's really doing is reminding us of our own! Watching your life go in a direction you don't want it to, knowing there's nothing you can do about it, and in the end coming out better than you were before! . . . Or worse, but hey, that's life!Read full review
5 out of 5 stars
by FMpPczTcRYC@Del...Sep 26, 2005
True Insite To The Life of a 'Jarhead'
I spent 4 yrs in the Marine Corps Infantry and did two tours in Iraq. If you're wondering what life's like in the Marine Corps, this is the right book. Or if you're a veteran and just wanna go down memory lane and have some laughs. Excellent book. Truly a constant page turner, you won't be able to put it down!
5 out of 5 stars
by e_KlC97QSPq@Del...Jun 05, 2006
Great Book from a down to earth author
I decided to buy this book after seeing the movie and decideing that there had to be more to the story of Anthony Swofford than the movie was showing. By reading this book you find out just what was going through the minds of some of our troops during the first Gulf War.
5 out of 5 stars
by polpago-nlcpdcw...Feb 05, 2022
Very good!
Thank you!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned

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Jarhead : A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles by Anthony Swofford (2003, Hardcover)

About this product

Product Information

Product Identifiers

Product Key Features

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All listings for this product

Ratings and Reviews

Most relevant reviews

Jarhead Is An Awesome Non-Fiction Book!

Great service. I almost had a duck when it came in the mail!

True Insite To The Life of a 'Jarhead'

Great Book from a down to earth author

Very good!

Best Selling in Books

Save on Books

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