A review by trundle
The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford

4.0

Hasford's writing is terse, visceral, and real. Like any worthwhile war novel, it does not glamorize war but shows it as it truly is. There are no heroes and, certainly, no soldier is fighting because they believe in "the cause." These are men simply trying to make it back home, by whatever means necessary. They are trained to be killers and to have no fear because that is the only way to survive. As such, there is no happy ending; any happy ending as it relates to war is merely propaganda. This propaganda in the novel takes form through the famous film star John Wayne. He is the ideal American male: he is brave, tough, and rides off into the sunset in his films. That is impossible in war, of course, and the main character Joker knows this. He and his fellow soldiers constantly mock this very point throughout the novel. But perhaps most interesting is the contradiction that Joker himself represents. Not just by his name, but also by his choice to wear a peace symbol on his uniform. There is no peace and though Joker knows this, he wears it seemingly to troll his commanding officers, despite being told to take it off all the time. There is, ultimately, no point in anything that is happening. Though a hard novel to track down, it is worth it if one has the means (and the money) to do so. Recommended.