Buffalo Soldiers

I first read this novel back in 1993, when I worked at a local Bookstore. I took Buffalo Soldiers home with me one night and once I opened it, I could not put it down. The subject matter is not very pretty, nor is it something that I would under normal circumstances read about. But the author has such a wonderful way of drawing you into this story. You find yourself outraged, disgusted, alarmed and even frightened. And you are enjoying every single minute of it!! Elwood is this century's best "anti-hero". A man with nothing: nothing to lose, nothing to hold onto, and nothing to live for. I mean, lets get real. Elwood is a drug dealing [scoundrel] who uses people to get what he needs at that moment. Yet, you find yourself rooting for him, hoping against hope that he will turn his life around, wanting more for him than he wants for himself. Elwood is someone that you would never want to be, yet by the end of this novel, you can't help but want to meet him. Elwood gives us hope that even the worst of people can change, or at least desire to change. I have been a book lover and collector since I was 12 years old, but this is the first author that I have EVER wanted to talk to and congratulate for writing a book that is one of the most beatiful that I have ever read. I tried, unsuccessfully, to contact him. I have read this book 6 times and am still amazed at the depth of it. Do not miss this one!!!

Robert O'Connor was my English professor at the State University of New York at Oswego. I was his student when Buffalo Soldiers was released. I picked up a copy and I could not put it down. It was amazing to read this book when you know the man. As a teacher, he is straight as an arrow and proper, but this book is raw and exciting. He challenged us to think and create chaos and rhetoric in our writing. He wet my appetite to write as a teacher and even more so after reading his book. I still have the autographed copy on the bookshelf in my apartment in New York City. Do yourself a favor and read it, you won't be disappointed.

buffalo soldiers is one of those books that i can't imagine having never read. not quite recommended to me, by a mate, who said "it's not a pretty read", i immediately ordered myself a copy. i sat me down, late late at night, so late that it by rights should have been called morning. the cold light of a winter morning peeked in between the curtains as i snuggled in bed, and began a dark journey into the seedy world of skag, kodak film cannisters, life in an army barracks in germany ... i couldn't put the book down, and found myself inexorably bearing down on the ending... i could see it coming, who wouldn't? but it nonetheless kept me enthralled right up until the last line. reading it, whether simply the book itself, or the time at which i read it, changed my outlook on everything. there was a certain charm, a degenerate affection i grew to feel for the anti-hero, and in feeling it, i just had to admire o'connor for his abilities. as my mate says, it's not a pretty read, but it is a good read.

I first read this book five years ago, and enjoyed it immensely. Having read it again twice since, it was only the third time that it struck me as one of the finest novels about the absurdities of army life, perhaps only bettered by 'Catch 22' (Joseph Heller) and 'One to count cadence' (James Crumley). Like Heller, O'Connor seeks out all the intricacies of enlisted life, and the rawness of the book's content, coupled with the theme of drug abuse in the army make for an, at times, unsettling read. However, despite their obvious failings, one cannot help but like the characters in the book, nor fail to understand their obvious dissatisfaction with their lot in life. Elwood is the classic anti-hero, and you find yourself laughing out loud at some of his thoughts, remarks and deeds particularly at times when it seems inappropriate to do so. Indeed, that's where the beauty of this book lies. Ordinarily, the themes dealt with (drug abuse, disability, prostitution, racial tension) would be depressing enough to allow the reader to digest it only in small doses, but the scintillating dialogue, coupled with excellent scene-setting make for an exciting, rollercoaster ride that is nigh-on impossible to put down once begun. Much was made of the book's style, setting it in second-person perspective. The highest compliment I can pay it is that the only other novel I can recall that is written in this manner (Bright lights, big city by Jay McInerney) is totally outshone.In short, buy this book, read it and love it. Then ask yourself why this guy hasn't written more!

I can only think of one other book told in second person narrative ("Bright Lights, Big City," by Jay McInerney, whose "critical" commentary of "Buffalo Soldiers" appears in the front of this book), and it's interesting how effectively this perspective lends itself to wry irony and outright comedy. O'Connor is a master of ironic understatement, and his narrator in this book possesses an engagingly cynical wit. The main protagonist ("you") is wholly likeable despite the fact that he's wholly unlikeable, and it's this kind of inherent anti-hero dichotomy that makes him such a compelling character with such a compelling story. I don't agree with the opinion that this is satire, because it doesn't appear to be satirizing anything. More, it's an exploration of the darker and more self-destructive aspects of a generally dark and self-destructive soul, while offering entirely believable glimpses into the unique culture of America's volunteer Army. It's a complete joy to read.