Mouthful of Rocks: Through Africa and Corsica in the French Foreign Legion

by Christian Jennings

An account of the author's experiences in the French Foreign Legion. He was attached to the Amphibious Warfare Company in East Africa where he deserted before being recaptured by native bounty hunters and jailed. Returning to Europe in 1986 he deserted again, this time reaching Britain.

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, Military Fiction, Biography, War, France

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 1989

Reviews

[Andy Lucy · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a tit. Not much else to say... I have spoken with a couple of blokes who knew him in the 2e REP, and he was a drunk, whiny bastard who was too stupid to stop pissing off the caporeaux and sergents over him. This was his story.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admire how honest he is about himself. All the pissing and moaning he did. All the self loathing and drunkeness. When most authors would embellish and put themselves on a pedestal, Jennings talks about what a shitbag he is. I enjoyed the book and have him an extra star just for admitting that he gave another guy a blowjob.

[John Donoghue · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my most favourite books ever!

Jennings is a goy from a fairly well off background who joings the French Foreign Legion ...and deserts.

What a fascinating interest into a mysterious world ..and with some great humour.

[Oliver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another account of life in the French Foriegn Legion. This one is quite interesting because it's written by a guy who deserted. Consequently it does away with a lot of the tough guy bravado and is pretty honest about the darker sides of the FFL methods. Nothing special but readable enough.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think Christian was pretty realistic.

Joining the French Foreign Legion is off my "To Do" list.

[eryk · Rating 4 out of 5]

A brutally honest and unique account of a British légionnaire's experience in the Légion étrangère in the mid-1980s. Mr. Jennings started off on the wrong foot and just kept going around in circles, Dantesque circles, descending ever further into an inferno partly of his own creation, ever deeper into the inferno of the Legion. Mr. Jennings never really quite fit in, even though he had longed dreamed of the guts and glory of the Legion. He tried to play the part, but the harder he tried, the worse things went. Beaten and yelled at by hysteric corporals and brutalized fellow légionnaires, he drank too much and finally lost his grip. Kicked around like a dog for no good reason. At least he gave soldiering his best, but in the end, he was compelled to desert, having failed once before, less than half way through his contract of 5 years. I cannot blame him and it was probably the right thing for him to do in that particular context. As a senior officer of the Légion étrangère said around that time, a time when there were many deserters, it is better to be a deserter from the French Foreign Legion than a deserter from the 25th potato-launcher regiment.

[M.H. Tardiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look into the French Foreign Legion. The book's narrator comes across as a bit of a whiny punk, but the anecdotes he relates more than make up for the irritation. Particularly memorable are the scenes during life in the legion abroad, traipsing through African deserts (as a deserter, no less) and living in the Alps (where a crazed Legion officer seems to think screaming at a bucket of paint will facilitate its mixing).

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, another AMP title. I remember loving this book, it was so graphic and funny and brutal. One amazon.com reviewer says he served with the author in the Legion and that the book is a pack of lies. Be that as it may, it's still a good read.

[Little Timmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you want to know what it's really like in the French Foreign Legion then read this. Here is a book written by a Legionnaire that did his tour and left the legion. Very interesting book, recommended

[Joel Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice light material, noting profound or deep but very entertaining.

[Roger Barnstead · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was a great book written by a real fuck up
a man not unlike myself
well maybe he was a little worse but not by much
I willing to bet it is 99% true because the author did not try to make himself look good