MASH

MASH by Richard Hooker, 219 pages

I am a major fan of the television series, MASH, so I was very intrigued to find out that the television series was actually based on a book. Quite honestly, I'm not surprised; it seems like everything worth watching is based on a book.

The book featured the same antics highlighted in the television series: drunken escapades, practical jokes, and debauchery. However, if you are familiar with the Alan Alda series, you will be quite surprised as to how the characters are depicted in the book. For one thing, Hawkeye Pierce is married (married?) with two kids (kids?!) in the book, and Frank Burns doesn't stick around long enough to make the reader fully loathe the character (pity).

I do recommend this book whether or not you are a fan of the series. The humor is dark at times, but war is always dark. It makes sense. While I found myself laughing out loud quite a bit, I will go on the record to state that the television series is better (the antics last for 11 seasons...how could you not love that?). Plus, the book just didn't allow me to love the characters as much as the television series. And the characters are really what makes MASH a truly wonderful form of entertainment.