Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely Awesome
Review: Absolutely American is the quintessential American feel good book. In the face of a pervasive cynicism in our culture and perhaps a generation's collective amnesia, the characters who grace the book's pages remind us of what has made us great as a people. It's the Herzogs, the Ignacios, the Supkos who have responded to the call to arms...who have accepted the responsibility of preserving our liberty, who have embraced higher ideals - duty, honor, country. In their West Point and post-West Point experience, the characters display an up-by-the-bootstraps tenacity that is so much a part of our country's heritage. Absolutely American casts the best of our country's young people in the bright light of hope - they are human, they love their country, and they will steward our precious legacy. Author Lipsky brings to every American the essence of what one of our most cherished institutions means to us today. The book's greatest strength is that it does not indulge us endlessly with U.S. Military Academy history and lore. (Make no mistake; the Academy's ardent supporters among us get our fill.) Rather, the author offers us an amazing glimpse inside the minds and hearts of his subjects - real people with real feelings handling real challenges. Why do they do what they do? What drives them? What are their hopes and dreams? No sugarcoating here. West Point cadets live in a complex world in which they might trade loyalty for duty, where uneasy bonds are forged in a crucible of unrelenting demands, where a 4-year series of rapid-fire "wake up calls" defines one's coming of age. We are provided with an insider's view of what amounts to a fascinating social laboratory - young people struggling into immediate responsibility while their peers at civilian colleges and universities are able to grow into theirs perhaps more gradually. It is as much a study in human behavior - under exceedingly rigorous conditions, to be sure - as it is a story of succeeding in adversity. Lipsky's book, for me, unleashed a torrent of memories of a simpler time in the presence of the Herzogs, the Ignacios, the Supkos. As a West Point graduate, I was able to feel the cadets' struggles so deeply. I was able to recall similar situations with similar outcomes so vividly. I was transported back to a time and place that at once was both magical and terrifying. Because Absolutely American depicts the cadet experience as it really is, very little in the way of gaps are left for the reader's imagination. A welcome surprise, the work is remarkable in its honesty. Reading Absolutely American renewed in me, as I suspect it has others, a faith in our emerging generations. That the cadets experience distractions today that severely test their mettle was not a surprise to me. In our day, we had our distractions and they were often challenging. Cadets today seem to be much more aware, more real, perhaps even a bit jaded. While they are not infallible, they more often than not seek the moral high ground. They try to do what's right! Lipsky does a terrific job of lifting the shroud of mystery that envelops West Point. Students who attend what remains a breathtaking stone fortress are not heartless automatons or bloodthirsty warriors. Instead, they are 18, 19, and 20-year old soldier-scholars - half self-conscious, half self-assured. They are trying to make sense of the world as you and I did at that age, albeit through a unique set of filters. As Lipsky points out, irony is nonexistent at the academy. Through their eyes we learn that lesson early. What sets cadets apart and what makes Absolutely American such a great read is that the academy's character is one free of the disenchantment that characterizes much of our society today. It is a book about hope and promise for shining young lives bursting with potential standing ready to answer the call to service in the proud shadow of their forefathers. Their destiny stands with the Grants, the Pattons, the MacArthurs, the Schwarzkopfs... We need to be reminded that noble ideals embodied in the words duty, honor, country still exist with us today. Absolutely American assures us that the leaders of tomorrow will perpetuate those ideals. A truly wonderful read!
Rating: 
Summary: Rash Review
Review: I am the first in line to read fiction or non-fiction as it relates to West Point. I could not wait to read this book, based upon the reviews I read. In some ways it followed "The Long Gray Line"s format of following a few individual personalities through four (4) years at the USMA. My criticism is that I had a hard time following the story (events). The author seemed to jump around a lot. Also, I got very tired of reading about Cadet Rash's pt test; enough of that, we get it. The Cadet is mediocre and should not be an Army Officer. I also had to reread sentances over and over. The writing just was not on the same level as other books on the subject. There were some paragraphs that either were out of context or just a jumble of words. I recommend it for those who never get enough of the "gray line", but overall I was disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: interesting look at West Point
Review: "Absolutely American" is the story of the West Point Military Academy. West Point has a nearly mythological status in American history, and especially in American Military History. It was founded at the orders of George Washington and among its graduates we can count: Ulysses S Grant, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E Lee, Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, George Patton, and Norman Schwarzkopf. The purpose of West Point is to take young American civilians and produce fully competent Army officers who are ready to lead men. Author David Lipsky was given unprecedented access to West Point. He could go anywhere, anytime and ask any question of anyone. He stayed at West Point for four years, learning the institution and following the lives of the cadets. "Absolutely American" is the story of those four years and it gives us a look into West Point. David Lipsky takes us inside West Point for the four years that a cadet will attend. We follow the cadets through induction, basic training (a course called "The Beast"), and through each of their years. We get to have an inside look at the cadets and how they view their future service in the Army, their hopes and why they enrolled at West Point. While we only get to scratch the surface of most cadets, it is a fascinating look at these young men and women who are willing to serve our country as officers in the United States Army. We follow some cadets who are absolutely upstanding soldiers and may very well reach the highest levels of leadership if they make a career out of the Army. We meet a cadet who at first is an underachiever, but over the course of his four years he grows into a leader. We also meet several cadets who are just scraping by and we are simply waiting for them to wash out of West Point. One thing that I appreciated about this book is that we actually get to feel what the cadets are going through (as much as possible), and we start to care for them and cheer for their successes and hope that they don't mess up or fail. By the end of the book, I felt a pride both for West Point as well as the cadets who are succeeding at becoming excellent officers in the Army. I felt pride in their adherence to honor, duty, service, and loyalty. I felt pride in their patriotism and their own pride in doing the job as well as they possibly can. I am glad that these are the caliber of men and women who will be the officers of today and the leaders of tomorrow. No prior knowledge of West Point (or even the military) is necessary for enjoyment of this book. I found it both informative as well as entertaining, and I would definitely recommend this book as one to check out.
Rating:
Summary: If you know nothing of West Point is okay..otherwise pass
Review: I have never been in the military and have never read any previously published book about West Point..so perhaps I am the ideal person to comment. After finishing the book I was somewhat suprised that a person can spend four years at West Point with "unlimited" access and the best he can come up is this book. The book is divided into 4 parts. Each for the years it takes to graduate. It does not just follow one class through all four years but covers multiple classes in different years. It's not chronological. The author takes the reader through what its like to pick a branch and leave West Point in the same chapter as what its like to enter West Point. Sounds confusing? Because it is. We don't really get to know the individuals either...author spent 4 years with a cadet named George Rash and basically all I know is he struggles running the two mile up to West Point standards. The author fills the pages with what I believe to be self-evident truths that I certainly did not this book to help find out. He does not reveal anything truly insightful. Of course not every Cadet is going to enjoy his/her experience at West Point...of course some cadets are using W.P as a means for a great education and not really interested in being a profesional solider...of course there are some who resent those types of people and went to W.P. so they can make the military their life...should it shock anyone that some cadets use drugs...or have sex on the campus? I just can't believe the author spent 4 years to find this out. For example I would be interested to know the dynamics between first year cadets and 4th year cadets on the football team...on the field is the same as it is off the field...I don't need this book to know that beating Navy is a big deal.. I suspect the author does not seem to understand the military and in his heart of hearts is more comfortable in a civilian campus. For example, he states the SAS is the British version of the US Rangers..wrong...and how could he get that wrong after all that time? ( Try Green Berets). Finally, one has almost no sense of the academic rigours that one endures at W.P. I have no idea what any of these guys majored in...do they compete for special academics... I say its Okay and not terrible because for a non military person it does give some sense of how truly regimented life is at WP...I know more about WP then I did before but that is not saying too much.
Rating: 
Summary: DISAPPOINTING
Review: THIS BOOK WAS EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING. I COULDN'T WAIT TO READ IT AS I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN FASCINATED WITH WEST POINT. LIPSKY'S WRITING IS CHOPPY AT BEST. I GOT MORE OUT OF THE LONG GREY LINE THAN I DID THIS POORLY WRITTEN BOOK. HE HAD A GOLD MINE HAVING ACCESS TO WEST POINT AND HE CLEARLY BLEW IT.
Rating: 
Summary: sold a bill of goods
Review: I had high expectations for this book after reading the glowing reviews but was disappointed with both the presentation and content. I am surprised that West Point allowed this book because, in my opinion, it will attract the wrong kind of men and women to what I always thought was a bedrock of moral propriety. Is that what the author means, that West Point and West Pointers are absolutely like the rest of our universities except for the uniforms? If I were at all affiliated with West Point, I wouldn't want to spread this information around to, whoever. I can only hope for the sake of taxpayers who foot the bill and for parents whose kids will be in the Army that the author has exaggerated in order to sell books. I should have paid attention to the reviews such as "close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades", "Could have been so good", "Surprised", "Mixed Emotions about Absolutely American", and some of the other reviews instead of the marketing type reviews that I think simply sold me a bill of goods.
Rating: 
Summary: How they do it
Review: 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:
Summary: Interesting, but disappointing.
Review: "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:
Summary: A good, but brief, snapshot of a complex place
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Microcosm of America
Review: I really enjoyed this book and think that the title is apt as Lipske does fill out his premise that West Point is a true melting pot. I think the snippets of short storys of a variety of cadets is a very interesting format for that theme to be carried out. Some reviewers have expressed they believe there was no story line, and some felt the characters were not well developed enough.I disagree with both points of criticism. It is incredibly hard to really get inside the head of someone while writing in the third person as Lipske chose to do. Because of that I do agree that this book doesn't delve into the inner workings of each character as the finest literature does- however I wouldn't expect that of a non fiction book written by even the best journalist. I was VERY impressed at his skill in conveying the internal struggles of these REAL people from that third person perspective. I felt that as a reader I did indeed share in the personal struggles of the cadets. I disagree there was no story line, rather there were MANY story lines and some readers may find that disjointed feeling hard to follow. As one who was previously completely unfamiliar with the military, I found it fascinating to get this glimpse of that lifestyle. As a parent I found it interesting and worth noting that of all the college student Lipke has observed, and he has observed many, he states those at West Point were the happiest and apparently felt the most self actualized of all. THat coincides with parenting books that indicate that self esteem is developed through achievement rather than people being nice to you. The case for structure, routine and discipline as a parent seems to be reinforced by Lipske's observations. I found one of the most interesting manifestation of the theme of West Point as the microcosm of America to be apparent in Lipskes discussion of growing pains and evolution of West Point as it becomes more sensitive in its handling of gender and sexuality issues. Behavior which was acceptable at West point in the past, such as hazing, or "off color" jokes about homosexuality are no longer tolerated there. It appeared to me that this indicated a maturity at West Point which parallels a change, perhaps that of growth in society as a whole where what was previously the norm is now considered insensitive and unacceptable. I also found it very interesting how Lipske deals with the issue of racism and indicates that in a system where merit alone is rewarded, that racism decreases. The discussion of cadets cutlure shock as experienced by the white cadets who were disappointed when trying to find civilian women to date in Atlanta who were not racist was very interesting, as were the discussions of how cadets related to family and friends in a changed manner. Overall I recommend this as a compelling read for anyone who has interest in society in general, or the military in particular.
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