I laughed. I cried. I sat in somber silence. I could not put this book down.

Jun 18, 2012

SF Gate
By Tony DuShane Anthony Swofford
Published June 06, 2012


Anthony Swofford has ruined me. His latest book is a memoir. “Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails.”

And it’s all guts.

Anthony Swofford

I laughed. I cried. I sat in somber silence. I could not put this book down. As deadlines escalate around me, other books need to be read, blurb requests are stacking up, it doesn’t matter, it’s the Anthony Swofford show.

He also wrote the memoir “Jarhead.” This book is a version of what happens when your story gets published. The dream is never as expected and Swofford documents his personal demons after finding literary success as well as the dark side of his family.

He splays it out. He’s unrelenting. This is a book many authors have to wait until their fathers die or until someone dies to be this honest at portraying their families.

Most of his family is alive and kicking, and while tragic, there’s a somber joy in reading the book. Swofford has a voice and story worth riding.

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