In the Men's House: An Inside Account of Life in the Army by One of West Point's First Female Graduates

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting But Flawed Book
Review: I had the pleasure of meeting Carol Barkalow back in the early 90s when she came to Fort Ord to brief my Brigade Commander. She gave me the impression of being a pretty switched on officer who really wanted to do her job and not obsess over this book she wrote. Kudos to her.

I found this story interesting but in the end unsatisfying. It is broken into three sections. The first portion chronicles the author's four years at West Point. The next delves into her experiences as an Air Defense Lieutenant in Germany and the final section looks at Barkalow's time as a commander of a Fort Lee, Virginia based truck company.

By far, the best section is the West Point chapter. Here we see the first female cadets and the institution come to grips with each other. Barkalow is very even handed. We see an old and esteemed institution trying to come to grips with its being forced to admit females into its ranks. All in all one gets the impression that most of the leaderships' actions to accomidate the new cadets was haphazard and sloppy......but normally well intended. And of course we see the backlash from males (mostly cadets) who couldnt come to terms with the change. This section is pure gold.

The next section is good but not near as good as the West Point chapter. Here we see newly commissioned Lieutenant Barkalow as she goes through her first duty assignments in an Air Defense Battalion. Mostly we see the norm; a fresh and inexperienced officer trying to learn the trade. Still, there are a few gender issues to look at. Some of which are kind of funny. A good example of this is Barkalow's Battalion Commander kissing her on the cheek upon her promotion to First Lieutenant.

The final section looks at Barkalow's tour as company commander of the Fort Lee Virginia based 57th Transportation Company. This final chapter is awful, mainly because it is poorly organized. The author will in one paragraph discuss a company field evaluation, jump into a rant about how unfair it is that female soldiers cant get free abortions on post in the very next paragraph then hop into a discussion by one of her commanders on leadership. Just too disjointed for me!

The book also includes a photograph section. While many of the photos are good choices, many are pointless. In particular, there are three pics of a Cadet Barkalow assisting the Delaware National Guard in training. I dont understand why she included these pictures as she does not mention this activity in the book at all! There is also a photo of a Lieutenant Barkalow accepting some sort of unit physical fitness award. Again, no mention of this in the story.

Finally, there is a fairly quiet but relentless advocacy of allowing females to serve in combat all through the book. This bothers me on many levels. First, Barkalow doesnt make the argument well. I would like to see a little more than "well, my friends think it would work!". Add to that, the author is somewhat of a postergirl for not allowing females in combat. As a cadet, she is still falling out of physical training runs in her final year! Add to that a diary exerpt of hers where she states she could not kill another human being unless it was in self defense. And then there is her fraternization with a subordinate in Germany. But the most important problem I have with this is that she was allowed to get away with it. Had she spoke out the other way, she almost certainly would have been cashiered soon after this book was published. Dont believe me? The author mentions and criticizes an article by author, Naval Academy grad and former Marine Jim Webb that called for not allowing females in the Naval academy. Mr. Webb was a civilian at the time he wrote the article so the Marines couldnt do much. However, Mr. Webb was unofficially banished from the academy until he was appointed Secretary of the Navy years later.

In the end, this is an important book for those considering issues surrounding women in military service. But its far from perfect!

Rating:
Summary: Good Example of a Woman's Experience at West Point
Review: I read this book in 1990 while a cadet at West Point. I found CPT Carol Barkalow's experience to be somewhat similar to my own. It was a fairly good representation of what a woman would experience at the United States Military Academy, at Airborne Training and in the United States Army upon commissioning as an officer. I would recommend this book to a young woman (high school--15-21 years old) who was considering attending any of the United States Service Academies and I would practically mandate it for a woman who desires to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. This book may also prove interesting for others who are interested in the military or in general leadership principles. Things have definitely changed at West Point these days but this book still portrays a very realistic view of what a female cadet would currently experience.

Rating:
Summary: Good Example of a Woman's Experience at West Point
Review: I read this book in 1990 while a cadet at West Point. I found CPT Carol Barkalow's experience to be somewhat similar to my own. It was a fairly good representation of what a woman would experience at the United States Military Academy, at Airborne Training and in the United States Army upon commissioning as an officer. I would recommend this book to a young woman (high school--15-21 years old) who was considering attending any of the United States Service Academies and I would practically mandate it for a woman who desires to go to the United States Military Academy at West Point. This book may also prove interesting for others who are interested in the military or in general leadership principles. Things have definitely changed at West Point these days but this book still portrays a very realistic view of what a female cadet would currently experience.

Rating:
Summary: Kudos From A Former Soldier
Review: I REALLY enjoyed CPT Carol Barkalow's book "In The Men's House". As a former soldier I know of the hardships that our women in uniform go through and I respect them highly for it. CPT Barkalow explains in good and plain English how the military machine operates and how a soldier feels the pride in ones unit and men even though it may not be the most fair organization in the world. A great and even humerous book and a good read for even those not in or familiar with the military. I have tried to contact her actually to applaud her but have not been able to locate her. My email is available should anyone be able to assist.

Rating:
Summary: So, So
Review: I REALLY enjoyed CPT Carol Barkalow's book "In The Men's House". As a former soldier I know of the hardships that our women in uniform go through and I respect them highly for it. CPT Barkalow explains in good and plain English how the military machine operates and how a soldier feels the pride in ones unit and men even though it may not be the most fair organization in the world. A great and even humerous book and a good read for even those not in or familiar with the military. I have tried to contact her actually to applaud her but have not been able to locate her. My email is available should anyone be able to assist.

Rating:
Summary: So, So
Review: I think it is 5 stars for tomboy women, 0 stars for men, averaging out to 21/2 stars, which rounds off (like the Army does) to 2 stars.

Rating:
Summary: Former squad mate at West Point
Review: I was a Plebe (freshman) at West Point when Cpt. Barkalow was a junior. I served in the same company (A-3) as she did and was also in the same squad for a time. She was a no nonsense person of absolute integrity. I'm glad to see this story get out because even at the time of these events they were not common knowledge to fellow cadets. Recommended reading reading for anyone interested in how females have integrated into the military. Would be interested in an update given the current Iraq war in which women are in the front lines.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book which is very factual yet entertaining
Review: Until I read this book I had no real idea what it's like for a woman in the military. I always harbored dreams of a military career, but it was an idealistic dream. I assumed that prejudice wouldn't exist because the military was integrated. Cpt. Barkalow's stark account of her experience in the Army, both at West Point and within her tour, showed me the reality of the military. Not only does she include her experiences and opinion, but she includes many co-workers, male and female alike. She presents a well rounded perspective on the integration of women in West Point and women in command. She does not shy away from the rough stuff, but tells it exactly as it happened. I believe this book conains valuable information for any woman interesting in enlisting, or for anyone who would like a female officers perspective on many issues dealing with women in the military. Cpt. Barkolow has done an outstanding job portraying the facts. This is why I rate this book overall a 10. I've passed this book along to many friends and there are still more who want to read it. It's a must read. Try to find it if you can.