Duty First

Rating:
Summary: Not exactly West Point unauthorized
Review: A detailed look at a year in the lives of several West Point cadets, with profiles of their supervisors and professors. The problem is it reads like it was written by the West Point public affairs office, and, in the credits, we learn that the author, indeed, spent a lot of his time hanging out in that office while writing the book. In this version, cadets come across as almost inhuman robots who spout improbable quotes that read like something comrades in the old USSR or East Berlin might have officially said. "You have to know that tough times are necessary, and it'll be better for you in the long run," says one plebe. Right! In this book, cadets dont swear much, have sex, drink, break many rules, sneak around, slack off or generally act anything like normal 18-year-olds. And while we get hints of dissatisfaction with the regimentation of military life and the mediocrity it can breed from one or two of the adults portrayed in the book, we don't see exactly why they are soured on the military. We find out on the next to last page that Tac Brian Turner is leaving West Point because he is "disillusioned with his chain of command." But that's all. No explanation. The book, by a former cadet and West Point instructor, seems crafted to be sold in the West Point bookstore to proud parents. General readers will crave a more realistic portrayal. Numerous books look at a year in the life of West Point, the best, by far, being "The Long Gray Line," a finely nuanced look by Rick Atkinson at a few key members of the Class of '66 and what happened to them before, during and after their stays at the USMA.

Rating:
Summary: More than just another "leadership" book
Review: Books about leadership are a publishing fad these days, from the "leadership secrets" of some historical figure to the experiences and opinions of industry bigwigs. In most cases, these books seem to have the common approach of taking questionable insights and reducing them to trite slogans.

This book isn't like that. As an in-depth view of "America's premier leadership school" (if it does say so itself), this book not only contains valuable lessons on leadership, but was also about the best and most comprehensive book I've ever read on any of the federal service academies ... at least until I read David Lipsky's remarkable "Absolutely American" (2003). But "Duty First" is still head and shoulders above most of the rest.

When the Army prepared to write a report on how leaders are developed at the US Military Academy (aka West Point), they discovered that, in fact, there wasn't any formal training doctrine at all. The lessons of leadership, and the means of transmitting them, had developed informally over time.

As a result, West Point cadets are not spoon-fed maxims and "principles." Instead, they're put in positions where they can draw conclusions and learn lessons via their own experiences. Ed Ruggero follows the same course: In telling us the stories of a handful of cadets during their journey through the Academy, he doesn't bludgeon us with "The point of that was..." We learn as the cadets do -- and if we, or they, don't pick up some insights about leadership from this, maybe we, like they, aren't paying close enough attention.

As I said, this book isn't just about leadership. It's also an extremely good guide to the life of a cadet at the USMA.

Having not long before read Catherine Manegold's "In Glory's Shadow" about The Citadel, I was struck by the vast difference between that school's "adversarial" approach to cadet training, and West Point's team-based, but still rigorous, method. Of course, West Point used to be "adversarial" too. But, as Ruggero explains, that approach has been abandoned, in part because it was judged a failure in preparing cadets for the "real world" of commanding soldiers in the field. This book doesn't settle the Old Way Versus New Way debate by any means, but is a strong argument in favor of a training regime based on a desire to succeed, instead of fear of failure and (what some would call) abuse.

I would strongly encourage any young person interested in attending a service academy, or any parent of a current or prospective cadet, to buy this book and read it closely. MBA students and business leaders looking for leadership lessons from a school that has been training leaders for two centuries will find a lot to profit from too.

Rating:
Summary: More than just another "leadership" book
Review: Books about leadership are a publishing fad these days, from the "leadership secrets" of some historical figure to the experiences and opinions of industry bigwigs. In most cases, these books seem to have the common approach of taking questionable insights and reducing them to trite slogans.

This book isn't like that. As an in-depth view of "America's premier leadership school" (if it does say so itself), this book not only contains valuable lessons on leadership, but was also about the best and most comprehensive book I've ever read on any of the federal service academies ... at least until I read David Lipsky's remarkable "Absolutely American" (2003). But "Duty First" is still head and shoulders above most of the rest.

When the Army prepared to write a report on how leaders are developed at the US Military Academy (aka West Point), they discovered that, in fact, there wasn't any formal training doctrine at all. The lessons of leadership, and the means of transmitting them, had developed informally over time.

As a result, West Point cadets are not spoon-fed maxims and "principles." Instead, they're put in positions where they can draw conclusions and learn lessons via their own experiences. Ed Ruggero follows the same course: In telling us the stories of a handful of cadets during their journey through the Academy, he doesn't bludgeon us with "The point of that was..." We learn as the cadets do -- and if we, or they, don't pick up some insights about leadership from this, maybe we, like they, aren't paying close enough attention.

As I said, this book isn't just about leadership. It's also an extremely good guide to the life of a cadet at the USMA.

Having not long before read Catherine Manegold's "In Glory's Shadow" about The Citadel, I was struck by the vast difference between that school's "adversarial" approach to cadet training, and West Point's team-based, but still rigorous, method. Of course, West Point used to be "adversarial" too. But, as Ruggero explains, that approach has been abandoned, in part because it was judged a failure in preparing cadets for the "real world" of commanding soldiers in the field. This book doesn't settle the Old Way Versus New Way debate by any means, but is a strong argument in favor of a training regime based on a desire to succeed, instead of fear of failure and (what some would call) abuse.

I would strongly encourage any young person interested in attending a service academy, or any parent of a current or prospective cadet, to buy this book and read it closely. MBA students and business leaders looking for leadership lessons from a school that has been training leaders for two centuries will find a lot to profit from too.

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't give you the whole picture
Review: Ruggero's book is an entertaining read and probably manages to catch some of the essence of a service academy. BUT. And it is a BIG but. He doesn't show you the whole picture.

It seems that cadets are mostly on O-courses, leading other cadets, and generally undertaking physical activities. I suspect that somewhere in those grey buildings at West Point there are class rooms. And they are probably used for teaching cadets!!! But none of that in Ruggero's book. Strange.

Therefore, Ruggero does not manage to portray the entire academy experience. Which, by my experience having attended another military college, is spent in huge amounts hunkered over books!

Rating:
Summary: Good book
Review: This book is about the life of a few cadets in a year at the USMA. The author does a good job in describing the routine and schedules of the cadets, providing good details of specific events. The biggest problem with this book is that it lacks the reality of cadet life. The author, while showing a few tough moments, doesn't represent the actual feelings of the cadets. All the cadets are too happy all the time. They are never shown being normal college students making mistakes, and being frustrated with their surroundings. This book comes off as an official publication for West Point, but is still a good read.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This book takes the reader on a tour of West Point over the course of one year. It starts on Reception day and ends at Graduation. The author introduces you to a handfull of cadets and follows them through their expieriences of the year. A great book, I reccommend it to any one interested in the United States Military Academy of today.