In Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails, Anthony Swofford (author of Jarhead) chronicles his own journey as a fame-flushed author with his cancer-stricken father as they travel 1,000 miles in a 44-foot-long RV.
Swofford doesn’t spare anyone in his account, not his lovers, not his family, not himself. He paints himself as a fast-living philanderer and a failure at being human. Fortunately, he is a studious traveler, and the journey ends on a hopeful note, with Swofford learning lessons from his dying father on how to lead a more meaningful life.
Check out this trailer produced by Red 14 Films:
What do you think of Hotels, Hospitals, and Jails?
Anthony Swofford is a joiner. He wasn’t drafted into service. But he sure walked off with the tales of other marines to use in his previous memoir. Maybe that’s why he ghosts the hospital wards of the injured and maimed – guilt and methodical appropriation will do that.
Swofford also joined the ranks of drug users, free will all the way, just say no to the blow. Don’t whine about it, write about it right? No, because every junkie in the world has written about it. Is there not *ONE??* spiral-down-drug-addict who hasn’t detailed his or her high…low…low…swan song?
The narrative is flat, without contrast, without authority and out of luck. This author is devoid of empathy and that is why his life is light against the wind, barely discernible, blink once…gone.
Chris Roberts