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, ... Read More
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, 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. "Jarhead" insists we remember the Americans who are 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, "Jarhead" will elbow for room on that short shelf of American war classics. Read Less
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $2.67, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Atlanta rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Austell, GA, UNITED STATES, published by SCRIBNER.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $2.67, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by SCRIBNER.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $2.67, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published by SCRIBNER.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $2.67, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Dallas rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published by SCRIBNER.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $3.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Emerald rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by SCRIBNER.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $31.94, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Santa Clarita, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by SCRIBNER.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $32.77, like new condition, Sold by Martin Frost, ships from Scarborough, EAST YORKSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2003 by Scribner.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine. In the original dustsheet. Red cloth binding with gilt title on the spine. This powerful book should be read. Jarhead is a 2003 Gulf War memoir by author and former U.S. Marine. Anthony Swofford. After leaving military service, the author went on to college and earned a double master's degree in Fine Arts at the University of Iowa. When the U.S. Marines--or "jarheads"--were sent to Saudi Arabia in 1990 for the Gulf War, Anthony Swofford was there. He lived in sand for six months; he was punished by boredom and fear; he considered suicide, pulled a gun on a fellow marine, and was targeted by both enemy and friendly fire. As engagement with the Iraqis drew near, he was forced to consider what it means to be an American, a soldier, a son of a soldier, and a man. Review: Wow, this portrait of war is funny in the Catch-22 mode of humour, profane and graphically realistic. It is a sad statement about our society that young men and women can be manipulated by hateful propaganda to develop the Gung Ho spirit that undermines morals and morality, mental health, and view life as a cheap, expendable commodity. The writer's self-examination reveals a increased understanding of himself and the machinations of war. Difficult to read, but entertaining and enlightening. This should be mandatory reading for any young person who has allowed parents, movies, video games, recruitment personnel, etc. to influence them to think that war is glamorous or good. Not for the faint of heart. Anthony Swofford served in a U.S. Marine Corps Surveillance and Target Acquisition/Scout-Sniper platoon during the Gulf War. After the war, he was educated at American River College; the University of California, Davis; and the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. He has taught at the University of Iowa and Lewis and Clark College. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The New York Times, Harper's, Men's Journal, The Iowa Review, and other publications. A Michener-Copernicus Fellowship recipient, he lives in New York.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $50.00, like new condition, Sold by Ken Lopez Bookseller, ABAA rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hadley, MA, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Scribner.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. His first book, a highly praised memoir of the first Gulf War, which was immediately hailed as a classic of contemporary war literature, compared with Michael Herr's Dispatches, and became a surprise bestseller and a film. Signed by the author. Fine in a fine dust jacket. Unless otherwise noted, our first editions are first printings.
Add this copy of Jarhead to cart. $61.86, new condition, Sold by Just one more Chapter rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Miramar, FL, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by SCRIBNER.
