The Academy: A Novel of West Point

Rating:
Summary: A must read for anyone interested in a sneak peek of USMA!
Review: As a grad (USMA '94), I can attest to the accuracy of Mr. Ruggero's description of West Point and his anecdotes of life there as a cadet. His characters are so well developed that I could swear Wayne Holder is my husband! (He, too, was a very laid back, reluctant leader who was well known with the women...) I could substitute every character with someone I knew at West Point and in the Army, and that always makes a book more interesting. The plot was a little far-fetched, but Ed even makes that believable. This book brought back many memories and stirred up many emotions. I read it from start to finish over one night - I couldn't put it down until I finished. If you want the nitty gritty on what it is really like being a cadet at West Point (embellished with some out of the ordinary danger and excitement), you should read this book! And, yes, we do chant "blood makes the grass grow"!

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful character study set in a cultural anachronism
Review: Great Book! Ruggero assembles a wonderful group of characters and sets them in an insider's view of West Point. His plot is all too believable and a perfect vehicle for highlighting West Point's unique culture as well as some memorable characters. Tom Gates is my favorite. I swear I lived down the street from him at every Army post I've lived. Ruggero's villainess in another. She is a ostensibly ordinary woman who through unlucky circumstances and bad judgment leaves a trail of destruction behind her. She illustrates the point that villains are not evil people, but real people who make bad judgments. If you're interested in the military culture, you can't pass up this book. If you're a student of human nature don't miss it. If you like an entertaining novel with some "laugh out loud" passages read this book.

Rating:
Summary: Unnecessary
Review: Well written, a tribute to the education at the institution that the author who is subtly demeaning that same institution got. But the unnecessary connection to West Point turns me off. The author could have been more imaginative, and fabricated his fiction without sticking his thumb in West Point's eye.