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Title: Absolutely American : Four Years at West Point by David Lipsky ISBN: 0-618-09542-X Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Co Pub. Date: 04 July, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.04 (55 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: How they do it
Comment: Take American kids and turn them into leaders. This is not the West Point you think you know. Fascinating and comforting. You will be hooked and looking to the end of the book for any info on those you meet.
Rating: 2
Summary: Interesting, but disappointing.
Comment: "Absolutely American" is, on the whole, a negative and depressing book.
All the hype surrounding this book lead me to believe that it was an inspiring, moving portrait of duty, honor, and sacrifice at West Point. And when I learnt that Sept. 11 was covered in the book, I rushed out and bought it right away.
The book is structed so that it follows the lives of several cadets and soldiers stationed at the U.S. Military Academy for four years.
David Lipsky does a good job of depicting the details of life at West Point, which are, no doubt, interesting to read. "Absolutely American" is, after all, the first book of its kind. Lipsky had unprecedented access. He effectively portrays the (harsh/unfortunate/disappointing) realities of life at West Point, but that's ultimately all he does. He begins and ends the book proclaiming his admiration for all those he met, but he never explains why.
Although he tries to expound on the merits of service, the portraits of cadets and servicemembers he presents are almost always negative. One cadet is a total failure, socially, militarily, and academically; one expects a story of triumph over the odds -- but he ends up graduating West Point just barely, and without any friends. Another cadet has just about the worst luck ever: his friend dies, he has trouble with his girlfriend, etc. One expects him to find meaning in his life through service in the armed forces, but the book ends with him resigned to duty he doesn't really want.
On the whole, there are some insights thoughout the book, but I was ultimately disappointed and left asking myself why Lipsky wrote the book in the first place if he was only going to offer such a bleak picture of life as this? The reader is left wanting more; there is no closure to the story. [...]
Rating: 4
Summary: A good, but brief, snapshot of a complex place
Comment: The author is a Rolling Stone correspondent who was invited to live with West Point cadets, in the manner of an anthropologist, for a few months. Since he is a fairly liberal writer whose specialty was college students and party animals, this could have been an epic public relations disaster for West Point, but he wound up spending four seemingly enjoyable years. His liberal perspective does show through, but liberalism is hardly incompatible with the military -- many hyper-competent Israeli generals have been socialists, and few institutions have ever shown more flexibility, innovation, and initiative than the US military has shown over the past generation. I (the reviewer) graduated from a military academy and belong to its association of graduates.
To begin with, a small book may never give an adequate picture of the many paradoxes and adventures such a place can give -- a military academy is simply too rich, too intense, and too complex. This book is more of a competent and entertaining surface overview than some kind of in-depth analysis, and it's a given that the author left out a lot of comedy, tragedy, and the in-between. Rather than try to picture a mythical "typical cadet" (there is no such thing), the author has wisely chosen to focus his attention on a diverse but small sample of classmates and faculty members. These include some superbly competent born leaders, a gung-ho and highly-respected leader who is sacrificed on the altar of political correctness, a modern feminist cadet, a talented fellow who probably took the place a bit too seriously, and one persistent but seemingly out-of-place survivor who just seems to excel in doing nothing right. Mr. Lipsky also gives us some interesting facts on West Point tradition, training, and the contemporary pressures on this school (such as trying to integrate the "entertain-me generation" into a demanding profession founded on ethical integrity and selflessness, the problems of inter-cadet dating in a confined and pressure-cooker environment, and how the class responded to 9-11). Being in charge of West Point is a tough job!
The author writes well and with the appealling enthusiasm of one who seems to enjoy his work. In my opinion, the book gives a reasonably good snapshot of the Point, but someone who is thinking of entering the school should obviously do much more research (including talking with cadets and graduates). Had I been the Rolling Stone's editor I'm not sure I'd have cheerfully paid four years of his salary for this book, but it's their money, and huuu-ahhhh. I especially enjoyed his very accurate observation that although cadets are notorious complainers, he never ran into a more happy band of young people in his entire career of covering young people.
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Title: Benjamin Franklin : An American Life by Walter Isaacson ISBN: 0684807610 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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Title: The Long Gray Line : The American Journey of West Point's Class of 1966 by Rick Atkinson ISBN: 0805062912 Publisher: Owl Books Pub. Date: 15 October, 1999 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Under the Banner of Heaven : A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer ISBN: 0385509510 Publisher: Doubleday Pub. Date: 15 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: The Coveted Black and Gold: A Daily Journey Through the U.S. Army Ranger School Experience by J. D. Lock ISBN: 0738899763 Publisher: Xlibris Corporation Pub. Date: July, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.99 |
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Title: Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis ISBN: 0393057658 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: 10 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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