Customer Reviews

Dress Gray: A Woman at West Point

5 star:		(6)
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I bought this book for my neice to read several years ago. It is soiled and stained now, having been through the hands of MOST of her friends, guys and girls! It is an exciting read, one that my husband, who had been in the Army, enjoyed as well as non-military readers like my neice's friends. I KNOW it inspired her to follow her dreams and not be stuck in the stereotypes others make for women. Captain Peterson (now a Major) is a wonderful christian role model as well ! Also, if you send her a request, she will send you an autograph you can attach to the book (or send her the book with return postage like I did!). I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to feel good about their country again, or for any young person thinking about attending a service academy! Well written!

I am a Court-at-Law Judge who just came across a copy of this book in a library recently and thought it looked interesting. That was an understatement! This book was well written, funny, thought provoking and entertaining. In fact, it was written so well that at times I felt as if I was actually there watching these events unfold. When I finished the book, I felt as if I had just graduated from 4 years at West Point. A marvelous effort for a first time author. This book should make Oprah's Book Club! Bravo and 5 stars!

As an avid reader of career stories, I ordered this book through interlibrary loan. I wish some publisher would reissue this title, as it's much better than I would expect from its out of print status. Ms. Peterson should have searched more widely for an agent and a publisher -- and an editor.

The book is extremely well-written (perhaps due to the editing of Ed Eakin, who undoubtedly is related to the publisher). What probably kept it off a lot of shelves is the introduction, where Ms. Peterson emphasizes that she was "harassed" and "betrayed." It's all too easy for a reader to say, "Oh no, not another one of those. Maybe she was a loser."

In fact, Ms. Peterson was a sterling cadet. By her own account, she had a challenging but not particularly stressful sojourn at West Point. She was a natural, coming from a background that included such diverse activities as judo and cheerleading. Her room-cleaning abilities were legendary.

Throughout her four years, she attracted great-looking dates, sympathetic leaders and a wonderful sponsor. She shows real humor, describing how she coped with a spazzy roommate during "Beast," the summer of basic training. Through her report of this episode, we learn about West Point's emphasis on "cooperate and graduate."
More seriously, we get a cadet's eye view of the Honor system when Ms. Peterson describes her service on Honor Board.

Throughout the four years, Ms. Peterson kept her humor and her standards. She accepted leadership roles easily and apparently managed to get good grades. In turn, she admits (without getting maudlin), West Point gave her some of the most wonderful memories of her life.

Her only setback -- the "betrayal" she mentions in the intro -- came when a female Tac officer failed to respond responsibly to jealous complaints by males who were competing with Donna for a coveted command slot senior year. A female roommate inadvertently contributed to the problem.

The only other flaw is the absence of a section describing what happened afterward. We get a very abbreviated description -- a sentence of two about a few characters. What happened to Mary Ann, the first-year roommate? What did the author do as a commander of helicopter companies? How did West Point really affect her later life? Perhaps she needs to write another book.

If this book becomes available, I'd buy it. Some publisher out there is missing a bet. Meanwhile, investigate your local library and interlibrary loan.

If you love West Point, you'll love this story! Captain Donna Peterson is a great person with integrity, humility, and charm. I felt like she was a close friend when I read this book...

Wonderful book! I attended West Point and I found myself with tears in my eyes reading parts of this book. It was nice to recall so many of the (rare) comical moments at the Point as well. I highly recommend this book for any graduate who wants to remember how it felt to be young,scared, excited, confused and far away from home as a new plebe! Best of all, it is an interesting read...you just keep turning the pages! I can't wait to read her next book! Please, please keep writing books, Donna!

Donna Peterson was in the third class containing women (Class of 1982) to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She describes her decision to apply to USMA -- Peterson was in the enviable position of being nominated to two service academies and turned down the Air Force Academy to attend West Point. But the heart of the book is life at the academy, year by year. It starts with being a "Plebe"; going through "Beast Barracks"; being run ragged with chores and bothered by memorizing "Plebe knowledge"; and being "unrecognized" by upperclassmen until the end of the year. In her second year, Peterson gains some responsibility and finds herself in the position to correct other, younger cadets. During the summer, Peterson gets the opportunity to lead actual Army enlisted men and train to be a helicopter pilot -- her future Army career. Peterson tells us that she looked forward to her "Cow," or junior, year the most, but it was spoiled by a cadre of men who opposed her advancement to a leadership position. Finally, as a "Firstie," Peterson plans for her post-USMA future.

Throughout all this, Ms. Peterson excelled as a cadet and took advantage of all West Point had to offer, from being a member of the Honor Board, to taking numerous leadership positions, to being a Public Relations representative, to singing in a choral group. What is also interesting is that in this very male environment Ms. Peterson was able to retain her femininity. Unlike many, Ms. Peterson apparently wore her uniform skirt, helped form a cheerleading team modeled on the USC dance team, and had more dates than one can imagine (sometimes juggling two or three boyfriends at a time.)

This is the second book I've read about West Point's early female graduates. The other, "In the Men's House," by Carol Barkalow, is also well worth a read. Where Barkalow's account differs from this one is that Barkalow was in the first coed class, rather than the third. As such, her female classmates bore more of the brunt of harsh, misogynous behavior by older, all-male classes, and the book reflects it. Barkalow also includes some description of life in the army after West Point -- I hope Peterson writes another book to tell us about her Army experiences.

This is a very well-written book about an unusually talented woman. I highly recommend it.