Rating: 
Summary: A unique experience unto it's own-well worth reading.
Review: Richard Hooker's primary aim in writing MASH was to vividly capture the essence of what being a MASH surgeon was really all about. The book provides a lot of information about how these guys came to be MASH doctors, how the ARMY supported them-and how the ARMY failed to support them, and what the experience was like from the doctors perspective as a surgeon as well as a man, not part of the "regular army" but [pushed] into it involuntarily.Is this an antiwar book? Yes, in a way.
It is an antiwar book to the extent that, through it's depictions of the results of modern warfare, it conveys true disgust with both war in general and the way the military handles its troops and soldiers. The antiwar message is more subtle than explicit. Is it a mad-cap comedy? Yes, in a way. The fact is that hooker uses comedy as one of many tools to convey the extreme conditions-of climate, of workload, of inexperience, of loneliness, of sheer terror-that affected the MASH surgeons experience during the Korean War as well as their responses to those conditions. Thrust, usually against their will, into situations often beyond their ken, in an organizational structure they neither respect or truly understand, the behavior of many was, at best, aberrant as opposed to their true natures. This perforce leads to inherently comic situations. Add that to the normal Army SNAFU culture (Situation Normal-All Fouled UP), and the recipe for comedy is auspicious... The book remains a very viable stand alone experience. If you are a fan of either or both the movie and TV series, I seriously recommend reading the book, It elevates the whole MASH experience to a new and more holistically satisfying level.
Rating:
Summary: This book is great!!! A treat
Review: Richard Hooker's story about three army doctors who deal with the stresses of meatball surgery in Korea is a great book. Never mind that it served as the basis for a movie and one of the most popular TV shows ever; if you think you know the story, you probably don't.
The movie and the TV show loom so large in popular culture that it is almost impossible to write a review without some mention of the video version's of Hooker's work. What we find of the familiar names is that the doctors in the book are neither the anarchists of the movie nor the peaceniks of the series, but simply a few Type A personalities who don't have a lot of respect for authority and are stuck in a tough job without much to occupy their spare time. This is really a study in the difficulty of life performing meatball surgery mere miles from the front line, and the methods men use to cope with the stress of dealing with life and death situations on an hourly basis.
I think the most compelling part of this book is the daily wait for the six o'clock helicopter. I won't disclose the plot details, but this little portion of the story breaks the life of the MASH down into its most basic elements.
I have to say I enjoyed this book immensely. As is almost always the case with the book form of a story, the characters are so much fuller than they can be on screen. Hooker has a dry, witty sense of humor that is on display throughout the story, but he never fully allows the reader to forget the stress and the pall of death and destruction that hangs over the camp. Hooker establishes a fine line between humor and horror, and writes about three doctors who couldn't survive the latter without the former.
Rating:
Summary: A different M.A.S.H.
Review: The novel is strikingly different in many ways from the film and the TV series which followed it. Some of the charcters are entirely different from the way they were portrayed in the move and Tv series. For instance, Colonel Blake and Father mulchahey are both much tougher characters than they are portrayed as being in the later vehicles. Major Houlihan doesn't play nearly such an important role in the book as she does in the film or series. Trapper and Hawkeye are like and yet not like their later versions. The book is very funny however and is well worth reading, and it is very interesting to compare it with the later and quite different versions. I don't know how Richard Hooker felt about the changes made to his characters in the later versions, but certainly this, the original book that started it all, should be read by any fan of the other versions.
Rating:
Summary: A different M.A.S.H.
Review: The novel is strikingly different in many ways from the film and the TV series which followed it. Some of the charcters are entirely different from the way they were portrayed in the move and Tv series. For instance, Colonel Blake and Father mulchahey are both much tougher characters than they are portrayed as being in the later vehicles. Major Houlihan doesn't play nearly such an important role in the book as she does in the film or series. Trapper and Hawkeye are like and yet not like their later versions. The book is very funny however and is well worth reading, and it is very interesting to compare it with the later and quite different versions. I don't know how Richard Hooker felt about the changes made to his characters in the later versions, but certainly this, the original book that started it all, should be read by any fan of the other versions.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Antiwar Book!
Review: This black-comedy of a crazy medical unit during the Korean War is an exceptional antiwar book that was made into an extraordinary antiwar film. Sincerely, Diana J. Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories."
Rating:
Summary: This book is the greatest comedic novel I've ever read!
Review: This book instilled all of my emotions, from humour when Hawkeye and Trapper go to Seoul or when they fix the football game, to sadness when they leave to go home. I highly recommend this book for everyone who's ever read anything.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: This book was unbelievable: satirical and humorous yet showing the horrors of war through the bloody operating room scenes. For example: Trapper John and Hawkeye leave for Tokyo to operate on a Congressman's son and play a little golf in ridiculous costumes; finding out if Hot Lips' hair is naturally blonde; and catching mermaids. There are also briefly shown characters who just add to the melee of escapades: Major Houlihan, Roger the Dodger, and Frank Burns. This book should be read by every person who calls themself a "M*A*S*H" fan. Judy :-)
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books ever written
Review: This delightful book is just as good, if not better then the TV show which is based on it. A must read for fans of the televison show. Hooker makes you feel as though you are there laughing, and crying rightalong with the unforgetable characters of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.
Rating:
Summary: There's more to it than laughs...
Review: This is the book that gave birth to the everlasting TV show and classic movie. Looking down at my shabby, 3rd or even 4th hand paperback copy, it's hard to believe that THIS IS IT. But, it is, and it is also so much more. If you are looking for laughs, you'll find them here. Hawkeye, Duke, Trapper, Hotlips and Radar do not disappoint in the humor department. But, look beyond that and you'll find a raw, poignant story of men and women doing an almost superhuman job in conditions that make our nightmares look weak and inadequate by comparison. Warning, this book will make you want to cry as often as it is sidesplittingly funny. Underneath the running patter of boredom fighting pranks and verbal sparring is a souldeep look at the doctors, nurses, support crew, and patients who fought so hard to keep death and insanity from winning. And, MASH is a winning book about this fight. Highest recommendation...
Rating:
Summary: Good and Funny
Review: Very humorous, exciting book. It really was enjoyable. When I first read the book, I had no idea who was who and what was what. But eventually all the pieces came together.
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