Some of Harvey Pekar's American Splendor work was adapted into the movie American Splendor. This volume isn't autobiographical. It's an account of the Vietnam experiences of Robert McNeil, a black kid who joined to escape high school and ended up winning a medal. And, thankfully, surviving. Both of those facts we're given right away, as the collection begins with the text of McNeil's citation and a depiction of him being interviewed by Pekar.
I've met Pekar, and he's weird. It's interesting to imagine him interviewing someone.
McNeil was a raw kid who saw almost the worst of Vietnam. It's an interesting depiction of the life of a black soldier of the time; Black Power wristbands, Martin Luther King Jr.'s death. But mostly it's about the pain and fear of being someplace where people are trying to kill you.
This is first of Pekar's work that I've read. He's almost transparent as the author, even though his likeness appears in the work. It reads like McNeil's voice. There's a humor and a strength that are all his.
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