The Diary of a West Point Cadet

Candidate2015

Candidate2015

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http://www.amazon.com/Diary-West-Point-Cadet-ebook/dp/B004EEOSQA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Has anyone read this book? I was watching Colbert Report when this came up on his show. It sounds like it would be an interesting read and give a modern insight into daily life at the academy. Many of the books about West Point that I have read were written decades ago where many of the things stated may not necessarily be as pertinent to candidates now. Thoughts?
 
Candidate2015 said:
http://www.amazon.com/Diary-West-Point-Cadet-ebook/dp/B004EEOSQA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Has anyone read this book? I was watching Colbert Report when this came up on his show. It sounds like it would be an interesting read and give a modern insight into daily life at the academy. Many of the books about West Point that I have read were written decades ago where many of the things stated may not necessarily be as pertinent to candidates now. Thoughts?
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No, but Preston Pysh was my roommate's team leader and a hilarious guy. Probably worth a read.
 
Ill buy it on my ipod tmrw and let you know tmrw night I saw that Colbert too.
 
PC, Mac, Kindle, iPod Touch, iPhone, Blackberry, and Android users can download the free Kindle Reader software.

Once installed, you can download a free sample of the book; first chapter covering R-day and part of Beast is included in the sample. Also, the introduction provides some background on the writer.

Enjoy!
 
Had a gift card for B&N from Christmas. Just bought it, I'll try to read it soon and let you guys know. :cool:
 
I'm just about finished with the book and have really enjoyed it! It follows Captain Pysh's path at West Point from R Day thru graduation and the escapades and daily grind he endured. I especially like the conclusion of each chapter...he finishes with the BLUF (Bottom Line Up-Front) which explains why the stories he writes about are signficant to him. I would highly recommend it to future cadets and their families for more insight into what the West Point experience is truly like.
 
Dog Walker said:
I'm just about finished with the book and have really enjoyed it! It follows Captain Pysh's path at West Point from R Day thru graduation and the escapades and daily grind he endured. I especially like the conclusion of each chapter...he finishes with the BLUF (Bottom Line Up-Front) which explains why the stories he writes about are signficant to him. I would highly recommend it to future cadets and their families for more insight into what the West Point experience is truly like.
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+1

I finished it a couple of weeks ago and it was definitely an entertaining read. The book has a lot of personal stories of cadet life and ties in leadership qualities into the stories really well. After reading my fair share of books on West Point (translation: as many as I could find) this one is definitely at the top of the list. This book, Absolutely American, and The Long Gray Line are my top three.
 
Finished it Sunday. Agree 110% with Jake, my top USMA books are Absolutely American, Diary of a WP Cadet and TLGL, in that order. This one has a little edge on the others because it is a first person account. Instead of an outsider saying how so-and-so felt, you know how so-and-so feels. Recommend to anyone interested in USMA.
 
Good to hear positive reports on this book. Will definitely be my next WP book to read.
However, my opinion of Absolutely American is : :thumbdown::thumbdown:
 
Buff81: Could you please elaborate on why you do not like Absolutely American? It's been recommended by a lot of people and you are one of the first people I've heard from who has not liked it.
 
Sure.
Based on what some people have said that were there at time the author was at WP doing his research, the author seemed to want to focus on and zero in on the negative.
But that is what sells books.
 
I agree, my mom didn't even want to finish the book because she felt it was a very negative book.
 
My father worked with someone who graduated in the same class and was in the same company that the author was following, and who knew a few of the main characters. Her take is that Lipsky knew exactly what he was going to be writing about before he got there, and he glamorized some aspects of cadet life while overstating some not so great parts at the same time.
 
I didn't find it that negative, just blatant. If you recall, the author prefaced the whole book by saying WP cadets are avid complainers but the happiest college kids he'd ever met.
 
vampsoul said:
I didn't find it that negative, just blatant. If you recall, the author prefaced the whole book by saying WP cadets are avid complainers but the happiest college kids he'd ever met.
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I agree, I didn't find it negative. The book focuses on 20 cadets out of 4500, so the experiences portrayed could be vastly different than the norm even without trying to spin it, but I thought it still gave a good flavor. I read it before my son left for beast and after he finished his plebe year and I enjoyed it both times. "The Unforgiving Minute" Craig Mullaney is also a good read.
 
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