Rating: 
Summary: Read it!
Review: I read this book before I joined the Corps in August of 1999. It didn't discourage me like many thought it would- it motivated me! This book takes you step by step through recruit training in the Elite fighting force in the world, the United States Marine Corps. I learned much of what I was soon to encounter and it helped a little. This book is good for anyone - future marines, former and present marines, or just the curious civilian wondering what we go through. The stories you have heard are real, now read about it for yourself.
Rating:
Summary: Wow
Review: I just recently finished the book, and right after i set it down beside me, i said "Wow". Before i continue to praise this book, there is one thing. Its outdated, a bit. The last week of the marines now, is the Crucible, not (i forget what it says in the book) and other things here and there. Other than that, this a a great book, great content, superb story, interviews, pictures, its the Michael Jordan of books.
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Summary: Making it RIGHT!
Review: As a devoted reader of fiction (and someone who burned out on non-fiction sometime in graduate school!) I rarely detour away from my escapist literature -- and when I do, I'm frequently disappointed. Not so with Making the Corps, which was as compelling as any novel I've read in years. I originally bought the book because I had encountered the author professionally and was intrigued by its premise (especially since my father was a Parris Island "grad"). But from about page 3 on, I read it out of complete fascination with the subject matter and admiration at the way that Mr. Ricks was able to put it all together. I literally stayed up all night to finish it, and have since recommended it to just about everyone I know. A really terrific book!
Rating:
Summary: Facinating
Review: Making the Corps gives one of the most facinating insights into the world of the US Marine Corps: a truly different world. The personal aspect of the book is unprecedented, as the reader watches several men from different backgrounds get transformed. It both made me want to be a Marine and at the same time made me thankful that I am not one. The book shows that the Marines still maintain some good values, but are far behind the rest of America. A must read for those interested in the military.
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Summary: Good insight into Marine culture, and how it's instilled.
Review: The author was able to follow Marine recruit company 3086 from the day they arrived at Parris Island until the day the graduated, eleven weeks later. He's able to show us what goes on in boot camp and how the Marines are able to take young men from many backgrounds and mold them into "the band of brothers" that is the Marine Corps. But this is not just a public relations book showing only the good side of the Corp. The author also delves into the widening difference between Marine Corp and mainstream United States culture and how the Corp is becoming more and more isolated in their thinking. The author also follows certain recruits beyond boot camp and shows how some of them embraced the Marine life while others rejected it and left the Corp for various reasons. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know how the military works. I'm a Navy veteran from Vietnam, and though I've been through Navy boot camp it was nothing like what the Marines go through. But even if you've never been in the service you'll gain insight into what it takes to make an all-volunteer elite combat force.
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Summary: The Best Book About Marine Recruit Training I've Ever Read.
Review: Reading this book was like taking a trip in Peabody's Wayback Machine. Though the Marine boot camp experience is one that most will never forget, the opening chapters of the book which describe those first few hours bring back the memories with startling clarity. Though there have been many changes since I went through (training schedule, the buildings, etc), the fundamental structure of boot camp is still intact. From the whirlwind of chaos that greets you when you get off the bus to the sense of elation you feel on Graduation Day, Mr. Ricks has fashioned an intricate tour of the entire boot camp experience. Even though it is a little out of date with the current training curriculum, the book still provides a fascinating insight into this once-in-a-lifetime experience. My favorite aspects of the book are the studies of the various recruits and their differing motivations for joining the Corps, as well as the look at the drill instructors charged with training the recruits and molding them into Marines. The duties of a Marine DI are generally overlooked or simplified when they're conveyed in movies or TV or in other books, and Mr. Ricks does a stellar job in showing the enormous responsibility these men and women undertake. This book should be required reading for anyone interested in learning more about Marines.
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Summary: A Superb Book About What Really Goes At Parris Island
Review: Making the Corps was so enthralling that I read it in one sitting. I bought this book because I wanted to learn about life as a recruit in the Marine Corps, and Making the Corps tells everything. All of the physical and mental struggles are here and it shows exactly why 14% of recruits drop out, and what makes the 86% who make it go the extra step. The recruits and the drill instructors are interviewed, and a lot of their dialogue is amazing, especially when a recruit talks about the hurdles they have to jump, and the internal struggles that a drill instructor is going through. This is one of the greatest books ever written about the US Military.
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening and well worth the time
Review: I have no Marine connection, and went thru Navy boot a long time ago. But I found this absorbing reading. Reading the 83 reviews on the board, I was surprised that so many Marines are enticed by the account, but that is all right. I myself think some of the psychological torture inflicted on recruits cannot be necessary, and the book's indication of how Army boot is run now seemed more sensible to me. But it is satifying that some of the physical abuse that apparently formerly was employed now is not deemed necessary. In other words, if you have read Lords of Discipline, by Pat Conroy, (fiction, I know, but probably solidly based on the author's time at The Citadel)it would seem some of the inhumanity is gone from Marine and similar training and I doubt that is all bad. I think my reading this book will be meaningful to me for the rest of my life.
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Summary: Outstanding in almost all respects, though somewhat biased.
Review: Making the Corps was very enjoyable to read, and will certainly be appreciated by anyone who has gone through Army or Marine Corps basic training. Thomas Ricks has superbly captured with color and pathos the experience of young people being newly initiated into the culture and environment of military service. However I feel he over emphasizes the perception that the civilian public has become disenchanted with or alienated from the values of the military. One need only witness the tremendous surge of popularity for Saving Private Ryan, a film which dramatically emphasizes the core values of the military as demonstrated by characters representing the common citizen. As an Army vet I also agree with some of the reviewers that Ricks tends to nick the "Green Machine" a bit unfairly at times (for a clearer picture of the Army I would recommend George Wilson's Mud Soldiers.) I trained at Ft. Benning GA under a freckle-faced red-headed maniac from Tennesee, our senior drill sergeant, who would have felt right at home on Perris Island. I believe that Army Basic (non-coed) at Ft. Benning was essentially comparable to Marine Basic at P.I. with one major ideological exception, which Ricks aptly points out. After completing Army Infantry School graduation we were simply referred to as "soldiers." After P.I. or Pendleton graduation Rick's subjects are not referred to but "titled" mind you, "UNITED STATES MARINES." God help them, its true, the Marines have always been able to foster that essence of identity which the Army and the other services have never been able to capture, and it is that intangible which makes them special. Yes I do admire "The Corps," and I highly recommend Rick's book.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: I read this book while my boyfriend was at MCRD. It helped me gain incredible insight into his expirience there. This book let me stay in touch with him while he was gone. It was great and I would recommend it to anyone!
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