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The NEXT Freeper Reading Club discussion will be two read at LEAST two of Raymond Chandler's stories/novels. The two stories I have assigned are Trouble Is My Business and Red Wind. This discussion will commence on February 24. Oh, and don't worry about trying to "solve" the crimes. That is quite beside the point in reading the Philip Marlowe stories. What is important is reading how Chandler uses the American idiom in the Los Angeles setting. (Fun fact: Chandler basically invented "Film Noir").

Though this was the longest book so far on our reading list, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Many of the circumstances were similar to my time in the military. For example, for a while I lived in "squadbays" with 40 Marines bunked on each side and a common bathroom in the middle. Lights would go out at 2200 on the button and I remember we used to sit on the bathroom floor playing cards well into the night as well as other games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Risk. (Yes, Marines playing RISK on the bathroom floor at night!)

One thing about the book that didn't ring true to me, being that James Jones based this on actual events, was the apparently common practice of befriending homosexuals in town to "scam them" or "string them along" for money, free drinks, etc. In the book, there were a lot of soldiers doing this and during one investigation, two entire truckloads of soldiers who were thought to be fraternizing with homosexuals were brought in for questioning and the soldiers treated the whole thing like a joke.

I can tell you that when I was in the service, nothing of the sort was tolerated. If a Marine "got a boyfriend off base" even as a ruse to rip the homosexual off, he would be quickly turned in by his fellow Marines and run right out of the Corps.

I'll have a lot more to say about this book as the thread progresses (don't want to shoot my whole wad at once).

The minor character Willard (the cook) reminds me of some cooks I pulled mess duty with. Many of the cooks in the military are salty, miserable bastards! Maybe it's because they have to get up at 0330 every morning to prepare morning chow. Nothing seems to have changed much since 1941 with respect to mess duty. You basically have the choice of pots and pans (pot-shack) or the "scullery" (dishwashing) which is the easier of the two jobs. Of course, there is much more to mess duty than just that. We also had to do all the sweeping and swabbing, deal with the trash, and just about anything else that the cooks feel are beneath their dignity (which is a lot). From 0300 to about 1900 hours during our week of mess duty, we are virtually the slaves for two full shifts of cooks. If you mouthed off to them, you were likely told to "police" the dining room floor between meals with just your hands. No vacuum, no broom. You had to get down on your hands and knees and pick up every morsel of dropped food with your bare hands.

I did not read FHTE during this time period, but I have read it three times in the past. From reading your posts, I can tell your are an avid reader, as am I. I have read books from the major post WW II authors (Jones From Here To Eternity, Mailer's The Naked and The Dead, Shaw's The Young Lions, Uris's Battlecry, Heller's Catch 22, as well as Styron and Wouk). James Jones is my favorite author and I have read nearly everything from him. Some years ago, I was throwing some stuff away from a storage place I was renting. In the dumpster was a copy of Viet Journal from Jones. I also got a copy of The Ice Cream Headache, a collection of his short stories. Both very good.

Back to FHTE. After reading the thread, I think most people missed the relationship between Prewitt and Warden. Warden sees himself in Prewitt. Prewitt is Warden and while the top kick sees the soldier in Prewitt that he can become, he also sees the independent streak in Prewitt that was somewhat extinguished in Warden. Prewitt, though he needs the "sea daddy", the mentor, that Warden can be, resents Warden looking out for him.

What are my favorites parts in the novel? The stockade experience and how Prewitt realizes that nearly anyone placed in that type of authority can become a Fatso Judson. When the one buck sargent that fought Prewitt kills himself. He is one that went all the way with the homosexuals. After being beaten by a little man - Prewitt - he doubts himself and his manhood and believing himself to be a fag, kills himself. Jones description of this one act that can never be taken back or corrected is awesome. It is somewhat ironic, that the actor that portrayed Prewitt in the movie - Montgomery Clift - was an homosexual. I know it is off track, but one part in the movie I loved is when Frank Sinatra takes a chair and hits Fatso Judson (Ernest Borgnine) upside the head with it. One of the great American novels and a fantastic movie.

One thing that struck me in the book was the constant use of the word "tailormades" to refer to cigarettes that we now take for granted - that is, cigarrettes that are already pre-rolled and packaged 20 to a pack. Back in 1941, many soldiers in the service couldn't afford the "tailormades" and rolled their own.

I just think it's ironic because we seem to have come full-circle. For the "tailormades" have become so expensive due to oppressive taxes that even the affluent have taken to rolling their own again.

I'm a little late to the party here, but I did read FHTE. Please put me on the ping list.

My reaction to the actual reading of this book surprised me. Because of its length I often thought of quitting, but every single time, another beautiful paragraph would hook me. The book was, to me, not so much the story but the honesty of the writing and the author's really unique ability to put into beautifully placed words thoughts and motivations of his characters. I think reading this book would make anyone a better writer, or at least give them a goal to aspire to. Reading this book could make the reader a better THINKER. Maybe that's what's so great about the author, he was a great THINKER and had the gift of being able to put it into words.

Thank you, PJ.