Rating: 
Summary: Defines patriotism and explains "love of country"
Review: I wish I could sit down with both John and Frank Schaeffer over some pizza. By the end of their book, I felt as if I had gone through the experiences with them. (Although, I'm sure I would not have lasted through the first day of Marine bootcamp!) This is a moving story between a father and son, and both of their changing perceptions of what it means to be an American citizen. The story is also told from a unique vantage point in that the Schaeffer family is atypical from most military families. While John Schaeffer is away at Marine bootcamp, the reader watches the individual transformation of John's ideals while he's being instilled with USMC values. It's unbelievable how an 18 year old can change so completely within a few months; his life worries are worlds apart from the typical college freshman. I think this book would be helpful for anyone planning to enlist in our armed services, it gives a very personal narrative of the bootcamp experience. The surprise bonus is that John Schaeffer is a beautiful and powerful poet. The reader also sees how Frank Schaeffer is transforming into a very different American outside in the civilian world. The father's way to feel close to his son, is to re-evaluate the how he views America's place in the world, the luxuries of being an American citizen, and the treatment of our Armed forces. His questions and his insights made me re-evaluate how I also view these subject matters. "Keeping Faith" is so powerful because it is written with such personal honesty and empathy. Of course it also helps that both Schaeffers have beautiful writing styles! I wish I knew how the Schaeffer family has been holding up this last year.
Rating:
Summary: Fortunate Ones
Review: In the aftermath of 9/11, the War on Terrorism & Operation Iraqi Freedom, KEEPING FAITH is a compelling glimpse of what makes a Warrior, & what makes an American patriot. It is also a look into how even a clever martinet of a father under duress can repeatedly put his foot in his mouth & how a son can transcend such pettiness & bring both to maturity. Throughout my reading of KEEPING FAITH certain lines of J.C. Fogerty's FORTUNATE SON, a vehement Viet Nam War era song, rang in my ears: "Some folks are born made to wave the flag,
Ooh, they're red, white and blue.
And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief",
Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son, son... "Some folks inherit star spangled eyes,
Ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them, "How much should we give?"
Ooh, they only answer More! more! more! yoh,
It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no military son, son..." In KEEPING FAITH, both father & son were "fortunate" ones who stepped up to the plate & said it was them, & I was right there cheering. A privilege & a joy to read, for both "hawks" & "doves" because KEEPING FAITH will make you think about patriotism & parents, identity & commitment as well as pushing your prejudices in your face. Well written & exhilarating.
Rating:
Summary: Always faithful
Review: In this book, two transformations take place. Frank and John Schaeffer, father and son, shared a bond of love and companionship during John's growing years that was very strong -- John was the youngest of three children; Frank's career was more solid by the time John was growing, so there was a little less stress than with his older children; plus, John had unique qualities. One of these was the tendency to do the unexpected, and that was certainly an understatement in this New England, liberal-biased family when John announced that, without seeking permission of his family, he was joining the US Marine Corps.
John's transformation in recruit training (boot camp) is fairly typical of the training one receives. He goes from being a civilian to a marine, seeing things in different perspective. John was, by all accounts, already a team-player; my greatest regret in this book is that, given this team-player mentality, it is a very individual memoir. I would have liked to have heard more voices, if even relayed through John, from the platoon experience.
The primary device driving the narrative are the letters back and forth between John and Frank. John's letters are understandably short and lacking in detail in the early part of training, so much so his parents include fill-in-the-blank style of letters to facilitate a bit more information. John also wrote stream-of-consciousness poetry (one doesn't really know if this was written during or after the experiences they chronicle -- they are not high art or polished verse, but are honest and vivid in imagery). Frank's letters are more thorough; being a writer by profession, one could hardly expect less. However, they are also driven toward communication and understanding with his son, not for the audience of the book necessarily, and that makes them all the more valuable.
Frank confesses the various problems he has at the outset. There is an almost-hidden divide in this country, that between those who directly know and are related to people in the military, and those who don't. So much of the upper-classes and educated classes have little direct connection. When Frank's friends discovered that his son John was thinking of going into the Marine Corps, they didn't really understand the decision to opt for that rather than college. John's classmates in the toney-privileged schools he attended similarly did not really understand. Slowly, Frank came to understand more and more the choice his son made, the importance of the vocation (and joining the Marines is definitely a calling), and grow as a citizen and father in response to his son's decision.
John recounts the difficulties and the successes of recruit training, from personal issues such as trying to adjust being a Greek Orthodoxer in a Catholic/Protestant divided world, to scoring in the Expert (highest) range for rifle qualifications. He recounts the constant hunger and weariness of the recruit life; practically every letter asked for power bars and Gatorade. He also writes of the stresses and victories, often internal, that come with seemingly endless training.
Both father and son grow before our eyes, in terms of being individuals, in terms of being team-mates with their respective groups (Frank with his community, of which he'd never really felt a part; John with the Corps), and in terms of being a team of two. This teamwork was strengthened by the joint writing project. In addition to the letters and the poems, both John and Frank take turns narrating what the experience meant to them as they went through it.
This is not really a guide to Marine Corps recruit training (although it would do any would-be marine good to read the book), nor is it a typical father-son relationship narrative. It is an interesting, intensely personal recollection, a slice of America little seen, and often misunderstood.
This book was finished just before the 9-11 events; the kind of patriotism and love of country expressed here has become a bit more natural in the post-terrorist attack environment, but it is still a bit distant from most people's everyday world.
Rating:
Summary: couldn't put it down
Review: It was great to read about two societies that I completely understand: upper-middle class civilian and hard working military
Rating:
Summary: Conversion from Elitism to Patriotism
Review: It was heartening to read of the slow but sure conversion of the father from the non-patriotic elitist northeasterner to the supportive America-loving patriot. He now seems to understand that freedom is not free; that it has to be paid for in each new generation by those young men and women who are willing to serve their country and stand between our enemies and us. His young son understood it pretty well as things developed, plus he quickly realized that he was going to get something invaluable out of his Marine service - his own self-worth and a lot of confidence. I hope that these two authors follow up this book with a second one. I believe that the readers are going to want to see "how all of this turns out." A normal person who has the attitude of the son, John, is almost always successful. I want to be there when it happens.
Rating:
Summary: Memories rushed back into my mind.
Review: Its funny how parents feel they have it all figured out for their kid's as they get older and churn out cookie cutter young adults into American life. Parents always have this plan laid out for their kids. "Go to school, graduate college, start a career, buy a house, get married and have kids". Its good to hear that kids like John want to break away from this mold and seek out more in life to have a true sense of honor and meaning. 4 years in the Marine Corps were the most memorable years of my life because during Desert Storm and Somalia I was proud to be America's best on the front lines. It was great to hear John wonderfully describe how he and his platoon want to live up to the ideals of past Marine's and earn the title. I was also glad to hear that recruits still endure great hardship and pain and let their minds and will power take over to achieve that goal through unity and brotherhood.
I was laughing out loud at times because some scenarios reminded me of the initial confusion I had in boot camp. I enjoyed Frank describing how society feels about service to the military because on the outside influential and well to do parents say they are patriotic but under their breath they say how their children will never serve because it takes their kids off the planned track. I recommend this book to parents trying to get a glimpse of why their child decided to take the path of Marine. It's a brotherhood that no other organization or college fraternity can match. "Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they've made a difference. The Marines don't have that problem. -- President Ronald Reagan, 1985-- "
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Summary: What a book!
Review: Keeping Faith details, through Father and Son journal excerpts, letters and conversations, the days leading up to, and during, Frank Schaeffer's youngest son John's enlistment into the USMC. The book presented me with moments of hilarity, and tears. I recommend it strongly not only to Fathers and Sons, but also to military families everywhere. For Fathers the book provides an honest look inside a father's heart as he struggles with the issue of letting go of his youngest child, while facing the realities of the empty nest. For Sons the book gives an intimate look and one son's path to manhood, as he breaks away from his father's shadow and enhances his sense of self, without ever leaving his father's heart. For USMC fans the book offers an intimate look inside the Corps experience. From the hell of boot camp life and the interdependence it fosters among the recruits to the often-frustrating life within the Corps that follows boot camp graduation. What an eye opener for those whose only experience with the Marine Corps is that which is presented by Hollywood! What a book!
Rating:
Summary: IMPRESSED
Review: MY DAUGHTER WILL SOON BE GOING TO BOOT CAMP AND EVEN THOUGH I AM AN ARMY VETERAN IT HAS BEEN QUITE AN EMOTIONAL ORDEAL FOR ME. I WAS 28 WHEN I WENT INTO THE ARMY AND I HAVE TO ADMIT IT WAS THE BEST TIME OF MY LIFE, BUT THE MARINES ARE A DIFFERENT BREED. I HAVE MY CONCERNS , BUT AM PROUD OF THE DECISION SHE HAS MADE , SHE IS 17. THIS BOOK HAS HELPED ME ALOT BECAUSE I CAN RELATE TO ALL THE EMOTIONS THE FATHER IS FEELING. MY DAUGHTER IS NOW READING THE BOOK AS WELL. GREAT BOOK!!!
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Summary: Read This In About 8 Hours - Couldn't Put It Down
Review: My father, who served in the Army in Viet Nam, gave me this book. I brought it along with me on an 8ish hour trip, where I'd be sitting in an airport or on a plane most of the time. I finished by the time I got to my destination. I could not put it down. I am a non-military college graduate, but I still found a lot to identify with in this book. I could see me in the son's shoes going through basic training, and I could empathize with the father struggling with his son's transformation from boy to Marine. It was very inspiring. Heck, *I* wanted to join the Marines for a few moments there, and I'm well into my 30's. In other reviews I see for this book, people bemoan what a whiny, rambling jerk the father is - THAT IS THE POINT OF THE BOOK. The father is a rambling, whiny jerk in the beginning, and HE is transformed by the recruiting and basic training process just as much as his boy is transformed. Yes, he is over-protective, yes he thinks the Marines is a crock, yes he whines a lot... THAT IS THE POINT. If he was always gung-ho Marine from the beginning, then there wouldn't be much point to the book except as a pro-Marine propoganda tool detailing life on Parris Island. The only thing that bugged me was the son's open contempt for other branches of the military, but that is reflective of the real world. Each branch thinks THEY are the most important part of the military, and that the others are contemptuous. I think this is great reading for anyone with any kind of a military family, especially fathers and sons.
Rating: 
Summary: I found the book interesting.
Review: My son just shipped out on June 7, 2004 for Marine Corp Recruit Depot San Diego. We had both read Making the Corps, a book by Thomas Ricks, before he enlisted. Once he shipped out I wanted to read something more to help track what he would be doing. John Schaeffer provides details of what happens during recruit training that were interesting, and he conveys the challenges much better than Ricks does in Making the Corps. Ricks was just reporting on what he saw not actually esperiencing it as John had, and it comes across in the descriptions and emotions that John vividly conveys. However, I found John's focus almost exclusively on himself as disappointing. He almost never shares with readers the experiences of other members of his platoon, unless it's when they are messing up, having problems, being dropped out or recycled. You only see the experience from his perspective and mainly how well he was doing. The experiences within the platoon are only presented in general terms. By the end it makes John seem overly self centered. By comparison Making the Corps provides a perspective from a number of platoon members and each one has strengths and weaknesses as well as differing viewpoints of the whole experience. Frank Schaeffer struck me, as several reviewers mentioned, as a whinny jerk, but you have to respect that he was willing to write it just as it happen realizing that it was not very flattering. You could certainly feel the emotions of both father and son. Overall I got some interesing information from the book and some advise that I'll be passing on to my son. I would recommend it to anyone who has a child, sibling or someone close to them heading or in recruit training. I look forward to comparing John's experiences with my son and comparing notes.
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