His time at Sandhurst is described like a scene from Full Metal Jacket or An Officer and a Gentleman. By using the Web site, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by the Terms and Conditions. My comments on the above named work haven't changed since the review I wrte for SWC (brief but to the point). There is something remarkably unsatisfying about this book; though I am certain his friends will enjoy it immensely. If he expresses it with reference to books and war films, it is simply because these are the only places that he – and indeed most of us – have ever seen such scenes.

Junior Officers Reading Club by Hennessey Patrick - AbeBooks Junior Officers Reading Club by Hennessey Patrick - AbeBooks

As the book progresses he begins to show genuine trauma over the repeated losses of fellow soldiers. It is left to the reader to infer that Hennessey’s affirmation of life is dependent on taking the lives of others.Its like he read Rumors of War, Dispatches and John Masters' Bugles and a Tiger and then watched Apocalypse Now 10 times then wrote the book. Some may find that tone and style refreshing but I for one found it self-indulgent with a whiff of the flippant. China's Charm Offensive in Latin America and the Caribbean: A comprehensive Analysis of China's Strategic Communication Strategy Across the Region [Part I: Propaganda and Politics] by Jack D. When he finally gets to do so in Afghanistan he claims that it is better than sex, better than drugs, more exciting than free-fall parachuting – indeed, it is “the ultimate affirmation of being alive”. Even the endless hours of boredom in Iraq – during which he forms the reading club of the title – are like a scene from Jarhead.

Junior Officers’ Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey: review The Junior Officers’ Reading Club by Patrick Hennessey: review

If shooting real people is “fun” it is because the proximity of death puts his own vitality into such stark relief. Of course he would like to be better equipped, but how can journalists criticise an army system that they have never themselves experienced? In watching this transformation we are taken on our own journey from irritation to comprehension and finally to respect. He yearns to be able to “spin real tales to the girls I wanted to fancy me… and the boys I wanted to be jealous of me”.Personally, if you want to get a feel for a Brtiish perspective on war read either Blood Clot (written from the perspective of a Para patrols Plt cdr) or anything by David Beattie. When Hennessey admits that fighting gives him a “high”, perhaps he is being more honest than is good for him. Cliché after cliché is lovingly and deliberately reproduced, because it is precisely this adolescent fantasy that Hennessey wants tobe living.

Book Review: The Junior Officers Reading Club | Small Wars Book Review: The Junior Officers Reading Club | Small Wars

His frustration at journalists who criticise the Army for not looking after “our boys in Iraq” shows not only a grip of politics but a firm and clear understanding of his own complex feelings on the matter. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there? Hennessey’s memoir finally comes into its own towards the end when he begins to understand that war is not all glory, but all hell. He is not boasting, but seems genuinely worried by the fact that no one seems to understand what he has become, or what he is doing in Afghanistan – not the media, not his family and friends, not even his girlfriend.Its a horror story of everything that can go wrong with how a young officer can develop on his first combat tour. Although it is not as bad as Exum, Fick, or the other self-important young officers who had these books in mind when they were 10. But if Patrick Hennessey is to be believed, none of these are uppermost in the minds of today’s young recruits. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.

Junior Officers Reading Club by Hennessey - AbeBooks Junior Officers Reading Club by Hennessey - AbeBooks

To be fair one learns an awful lo about life at Sandhurst, about regimental life in general and about the culture junior officers are socialised into bit it stll reads much less like a memoir of war and more like a cleverly marketed and pitched faux-memoir/diary for the iPod generation. This book tells the story of his three years in the army, from his training at Sandhurst, through spells in Bosnia and guarding Buckingham Palace, to action in Iraq and Afghanistan.By the time he leaves the Army he has been transformed from a pretentious young cadet into a wiser, less cocksure officer.