MASH by Richard Hooker

 This was a nostalgic gem of a read for me. 

Originally published in 1968, Richard Hooker's (a pseudonym) debut novel is a semi-autobiographical account of one aspect of the Korean War. It introduces us to the "Swamp" -- a tent inhabited by 3 (and then 4) surgeons assigned to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. Hawkeye Pierce, John McIntyre (Trapper), and Duke Forrest deal with the horrors of war through dry martinis, golf, and elaborate (junior high type) pranks aimed at incompetent superiors. 

Fans of the television series will enjoy reading this source material as a fond trip down memory lane. It's genuinely funny in some parts that made me laugh out loud, and captures a definite type of wit that helped make the show so popular. 

One thing you'll notice is the writing quality. Given that Hooker was a surgeon and not a novelist, the prose often seemed clunky and not well put together. The characters meander from one antic to another and there is no real emotion or much more aside from describing the crazy, often immature, shenanigans that I found hard to believe would truly be tolerated in any sort of military installation even in those times. Despite this, however, I really enjoyed the book for the nostalgic escape and it was a fun, quick read that reminded me of times in my life long ago when this movie and TV series made such an impact on my future. 

I was able to listen to the newly released audio book provided by the publisher while also following along in the e-book. The narrator, Scott Brick, is one of my favorites. He does an excellent job of voicing all the characters, giving them unique accents, and definitely captures the dry and irreverent tone which works well with the text. One thing that struck hard was that there are many politically correct edits and specific word changes from the rough, unfiltered language typical of military life at that time. These changes were mostly done to eliminate racial and ethnic slurs, remove the descriptions that were offensive to women, and altered some stereotypical portrayals of certain characters. The production was well done and enhanced my enjoyment of the book.

This was a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre and tags - military, Korean war, surgeons, prostitution, suicide, medical, humor

 Basis for movie and television series. Original pub date 1968