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Summary: A fascinating look at a military school
Review: Conroy's first, and a book he is very proud of, although I frowned at the introduction--it's basically an apology for his debut not reaching the literary heights of his famous and legendary later work. No need for an apology--although "The Boo" isn't as riveting and well-written as "The Great Santini," "The Prince of Tides," "Beach Music" and all the rest, it's still a gripping work."The Boo," of course, is Retired Lieutenant Colonel Nugent Courvoisie, a legendary figure at The Citadel who handed out demerits and discipline for day to day infractions but also served a key role in humanizing military life for many of the cadets. "The Boo," in fact, is less a novel than a series of essays and anecdotes, some of which are only a couple of paragraphs. Conroy, in the book's introduction, alludes to the "Me and The Boo" chapter as a sign of things to come--he saw the budding (brilliant) writer in him trying to reach the surface. Elsewhere, there are bits and pieces, character sketches and anecdotes ranging from humorous to dramatic which illustrate the way a military school steeped in tradition was run in the 1960's. In a sense, "The Boo" is comparable to "Ball Four," baseball player Jim Bouton's diary of his 1969 season--although the subject matter is apples and oranges, "The Boo," in a way, ripped the cover of the sacred and secret traditions at The Citadel. Recommended for anyone with a military background, and especially for Conroy fans--you'll enjoy his early work and get a glimpse of what powered him to write his best-sellers.
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Summary: Excellent tribute to Conroy's teacher!!!!
Review: I had searched for this book everywhre and finally got it through this site. It was well worth all the hunting! My Conroy collection is complete, and I strongly recommend this book to all Conroy fans! The other novels make so much more sense after reading this first book!
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Summary: The Boo
Review: I think it is a great look at the other side of the cadet life. As a Citadel Cadet I really liked the book.
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Summary: Pat Conroy's first book definitely hid his literary genius.
Review: Mr. Conroy's idolization of the Colonel is obvious, but the book is slow moving, hard to follow and definitely hid his literary genius to be shared with us in his later writings.
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Summary: A young writer finds his voice...
Review: Pat Conroy is my favorite author, and after reading everything else that he has written, I decided to pick up a copy of The Boo. The Boo is Conroy's first book, and the only way he got it published was to publish it himself. The story started when Conroy was fresh out of The Citadel and still wet behind the ears. He discovered that the beloved Thomas Nugent "The Boo" Courvoisie, Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel, was fired from his job. At The Citadel, the Boo could best be described as a character--calling all of his cadets "lambs" and himself The Good Shepherd. If you were naughty, you were a bum, and if not, you were called Bubba. While meting out discipline and demerits, the Boo proved to be a father figure to most of the cadets and tried to make this military college a little more palatable. The Boo is actually a collection of short stories, anecdotes, letters, cartoons and photographs. And it's not just about The Boo, but The Citadel and the Corps of Cadets as well. Many of them are hysterical, but not all endings were happy at The Citadel. The Fourth Class System could be brutal (and even fatal) for those who were weak or couldn't survive. This book also includes a glossary to help the reader keep track of those military terms Conroy throws around such as brace, rack, pop-off, shako, plebe, knob, etc. Some of the definitions are a hoot including: Clemson-a cow pasture in the upper part of the state VMI-a school burned by the Yankees during the Civil War and unfortunately rebuilt soon afterwards Why this book is so great for a Conroy fan is that it gives the reader a peak at the writer Conroy would later become. The Citadel was not a nurturing environment for aspiring writers, although Conroy did have a few mentors there. The Boo gave Conroy a voice, and even he admits that this book is "The Lords of Discipline in embryo," which became his first best-selling novel. In the movie version of The Lords of Discipline, the character of Boo (called Bear in the movie) is wonderfully played by Robert Prosky. Since Conroy became a famous author, The Boo has been re-released, and he even writes a new introduction. So for Conroy diehards, The Boo is an absolute must. While it is not great literature and doesn't quite measure up to his later and more famous work, it does provide us with a picture of where this talented author has come from.
Rating:
Summary: A young writer finds his voice...
Review: Pat Conroy is my favorite author, and after reading everything else that he has written, I decided to pick up a copy of The Boo. The Boo is Conroy's first book, and the only way he got it published was to publish it himself. The story started when Conroy was fresh out of The Citadel and still wet behind the ears. He discovered that the beloved Thomas Nugent "The Boo" Courvoisie, Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel, was fired from his job. At The Citadel, the Boo could best be described as a character--calling all of his cadets "lambs" and himself The Good Shepherd. If you were naughty, you were a bum, and if not, you were called Bubba. While meting out discipline and demerits, the Boo proved to be a father figure to most of the cadets and tried to make this military college a little more palatable. The Boo is actually a collection of short stories, anecdotes, letters, cartoons and photographs. And it's not just about The Boo, but The Citadel and the Corps of Cadets as well. Many of them are hysterical, but not all endings were happy at The Citadel. The Fourth Class System could be brutal (and even fatal) for those who were weak or couldn't survive. This book also includes a glossary to help the reader keep track of those military terms Conroy throws around such as brace, rack, pop-off, shako, plebe, knob, etc. Some of the definitions are a hoot including: Clemson-a cow pasture in the upper part of the state VMI-a school burned by the Yankees during the Civil War and unfortunately rebuilt soon afterwards Why this book is so great for a Conroy fan is that it gives the reader a peak at the writer Conroy would later become. The Citadel was not a nurturing environment for aspiring writers, although Conroy did have a few mentors there. The Boo gave Conroy a voice, and even he admits that this book is "The Lords of Discipline in embryo," which became his first best-selling novel. In the movie version of The Lords of Discipline, the character of Boo (called Bear in the movie) is wonderfully played by Robert Prosky. Since Conroy became a famous author, The Boo has been re-released, and he even writes a new introduction. So for Conroy diehards, The Boo is an absolute must. While it is not great literature and doesn't quite measure up to his later and more famous work, it does provide us with a picture of where this talented author has come from.
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Summary: Done by an artist in black and white
Review: Pat Conroy is one of Americas greatest writers. This is not one of his best book, it is his first book. It provides readers of Conroy a better understanding of how he grew into that position. In its own way it is the most interesting of his works.All young men should read his works from beginning to end.
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Summary: Done by an artist in black and white
Review: Pat Conroy is one of Americas greatest writers. This is not one of his best book, it is his first book. It provides readers of Conroy a better understanding of how he grew into that position. In its own way it is the most interesting of his works.All young men should read his works from beginning to end.
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Summary: Reality of the Military College
Review: Pat Conroy wrote the Lords of Discipline not only out of the desire to write and be published, but to give us an insight as to what went on inside the Citadel walls. I think only a person who knows what actually goes on there could write such a book. Of course, Mr. Conroy is persona non grata at the Citadel. His portrayal of the school is less than favorable, but very realistic. The letters written between Courvoisie and the mother are excerpts of actual letters. Conroy did not make these up. Read to see what this fascinating man had to answer. I found The Boo to be truly revealing about life at The Citadel. This is the only book Conroy wrote in which he did not make a significant effort to mask those involved.
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Summary: A young wanna-be writer trying to paint a portrait of a man
Review: Pat Conroy's first literary effort does provide us with far too brief glances of the writer he would become with his future efforts like The Lords of Discipline and Prince of Tides. The Boo is a biography of an Assistant Commandant of The Citadel when Conroy was enrolled at the South Carolina military college. The book does too little in the way of actual factualizations of Lt. Colonel Courvoisie's life, but chooses instead to focus on descriptions of the large amounts of memorabilia and paperwork that The Boo was involved in during his term at The Citadel. While it is clear that Colonel Courvoisie was a fascinating individual and worthy of the respect Conroy and others have given him, the God-like status he is provided is a bit much to swallow. I'm glad Conroy left the biogrsphy format behind and focused his future efforts on fiction. His later books are a wonderful and significant contribution to the literary world. This one can be left behind.
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