Negative Positive
Title: more "and other battles" than combat
Review: This book has polarized more readers than it should. As an active-duty officer, I can tell you that the military experience varies across services, ranks, duy stations, and individuals. Judging from the book, Swofford was one of the bottom 10% guys that drags down the military. Herein lies the only real value of the work--it proves a decent case study of a leadership challenge. Many junior enlisted service members enter the military with the same emotional baggage that Swofford did. Most cope well, but some don't. Jarhead is subtitled "and other battles" for a reason: the Gulf War "combat" plays a minor role in the text. Is Swofford representative of the vast majority of service members? No. Does he take liberties with the truth? Probably. Would I take his writing seminar? Hell no. This book will be quickly forgotten, but it's worth borrowing for a quick read.
Is the review positive or negative? 