| Drawing
on complete, unprecedented access to West Point and its cadets,
David Lipsky explores the academy’s rich history, describes
the demanding regimen that swallows students’ days,
and examines the Point as a reflection of our society. Is
it a quaint anachronism, or does it still embody the ideals
of equality, honesty, and loyalty that moved Theodore Roosevelt
to proclaim it the most “absolutely American”
institution? Lipsky tackles these questions through superbly
crafted portraits of cadets and the elite officers who mold
them, following them into classrooms, barracks, mess halls,
and military exercises. His reportage extends from 1998 through
2002, arguably the most eventful four years in West Point
history. He witnesses the end of hazing, the arrival of TV
and telephones in dorm rooms, the exposure and concealment
of several scandals, and the dramatic aftermath of 9/11. He
depicts young people of every race and class, and details
a rigorous training program that erases their preconceptions
and makes them a tight-knit community. Lipsky’s extensive
experience covering college students for Rolling Stone helped
him gain an astonishing degree of trust and truth from both
cadets and administrators. They offer candid insights on drug
use, cheating, and the army’s tortuous search for meaning
as new threats loom. Amid all the turmoil, Lipsky finds, to
his surprise, that “of all the young people I’d
met at all the colleges I’d visited, West Point cadets
— although they are epic complainers — were the
happiest.”
David Lipsky is a contributing editor for
Rolling Stone. He has written for The New Yorker,
the New York Times, Harper’s Magazine,
and the Boston Globe, among other publications. His
fiction has appeared in The Best American Short Stories,
and his novel, The Art Fair, won acclaim from the
New York Times Book Review, Newsweek, The
New Yorker, People, and many others. His honors
include a MacDowell fellowship and a Henry Hoyns fellowship.
|
