Saturday, November 17, 2012

HOTELS, HOSPITALS, AND JAILS by Anthony Swofford

Finished Sa 11/17/12

My post on Good Reads-

Probably most people who pick this up will be expecting 'Jarhead Revisited', and this is not the case. The book is a chronicle of the author's experiences 'after' he attained literary fame and fortune. However, many unresolved issues prevented him from enjoying his new life, and first and foremost was the fractured relationship with his father. This book is Anthony's attempt to rectify the situation, but it almost becomes a chronicle of the conflict between two extremely opinionated individuals who disagree on whether young Tony's face was placed 'near' the pile of dog poop, or 'in' the pile of dog poop. And, also there is a major difference of opinion over the terms of a borrowed automobile. Also, and maybe due to his family issues, Swofford seems to be drowning in a tidal wave of women with the accompanying incidents with alcohol and drugs. 

I thought that as a memoir, it was a bit over-the-top, but it certainly made for an exciting read. Conflict between fathers and adult sons is never easy, and this book certainly highlights this fact. At the end, I felt like shouting 'Hey, give it a rest', but I also realized that it's impossible for him to let it go. And, I guess that is the point.


Amazon link-

http://www.amazon.com/Hotels-Hospitals-Jails-A-Memoir/product-reviews/1455506737/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop/182-3512773-4421859?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R3TMPMHTGCXMM0

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