Full Description
In the opening story of Geary Hobson's riveting new collection, Plain of Jars, a young private confides to his friend that he's trying to leave the Marine Corps. "I am not doing this just because I find the Marine Corps too tough," Warren Needham says, but because violence is contradictory to his faith. The story's surprising climax, however, reveals a different side of Needham's contradictory nature. It's this acute understanding of conflict that characterizes Plain of Jars, a book populated by bullies, men in combat, abusive spouses, and Native Americans seeking a sense of personal identity in an environment where conformity is law. The U.S. Marine Corps sets the stage for a number of these stories, whose protagonists combat racism, post-traumatic stress syndrome, and the looming reality of the Vietnam War. With pitch perfect dialogue and a sense of the unexpected, Plain of Jars tests the depths of complex lives.
Contents
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The C.O.
The Odor of Dead Fish
Shin Splints
Plain of Jars
A Truckload of Dead Babies
Moogerman
An Attitude of Dignity
Creative Writing
Standing-In for Fritz Scholder and Yoko Ono
A Christmas Story
Marlene
Hollow Horn
Kyrie Eleison!
Live Coverage of the Induction Ceremonies at the Inauguration of the Serial Killers Hall of Fame
