Customer Reviews

Letters to Lou: the Sequel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a highly unconventional, boisterous account of an engineering student during his days aboard the MTS Charleston-- the dormitory, class room, mess hall, play pen, sick bay and catchall of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy at Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. The original book, which is among my prized possessions, covered his entire collegiate period aboard the ship
culminating with his graduation in 1957. It consists of daily letters written to his fiance, with whom he shared his most personal thoughts and experiences. The Sequel updates the book through comments and yarns from his former classmates plus input from the several subsequent generations.

He and his classmates were an irreverent group, disliking authority yet avoiding most penalties more severe than deprivation of liberty. Demerits were a game, and the reader comes away with the distinct impression that "he with the highest number without expulsion" wins first prize!

The book makes great reading, whether you are a seafarer or a land lubber, and the antics, heroics and the occasional heart break of the participants keep you glued to the pages. It makes us graduates of conventional schools envious that we didn't have the opportunities and the comraderie that turned these graduates into Naval Officers, Captains of commercial ships and heads of many major companies. The author himself gained a background that made him one of the Country's most highly regarded experts in the field of astronomy. I give the book five stars!

I felt the accounts of the author were insightful into Massachusetts Maritime Academy of the 50s era - definately a time in educational history that has totally vanished. Although chronological, I found the book's structure inconsistent, not much in the way of transitions, background or lead-ins for the reader to really get a total flavor of the MMA. Overall, as a cold reader, I think this is not such a good read and generally a very fragmented book and not a good writing effort. It has some updated entries in 1998, so its reprinted from the original 50s version. What is confusing is the inclusion of another student's extensive diary entries in italics interjected with the author's and this doesn't add much to the effort. Photo quality is poor. There are emails in the back of the book that just don't appear to be meaningful, its just thrown out there. Perhaps I was expecting a bit more professionally pulled together or polished story, even from diary entries.

---
Ben Hogan's "Letters to Lou" is a fascinating and often amusing collection of letters that describe life at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Well done. A good read for anyone who has spent some time in any of the sea services or its training facilities.

I atended Massachusetts Maritime Academy during this period.The letters weave a well documented life of a cadet during the 1950's. The author captures memories of nautical training for life at sea and preparation for life in general. At first I thought you had to be there to understand the tragic and comic experiences, but "Letters to Lou: the Sequel", places the reader front and center. Each page should be saluted.
Charles L. Fields MMA 1958

LETTERS TO LOU, THE SEQUEL.
I AM A PERSON THAT WENT TO MASS. MARITIME, WHEN GOING TO THAT SCHOOL MEANT THAT YOU WANTED TO SPEND YOUR LIFE AT SEA. IT WAS
NOT A SCHOOL FOR THE WEAK SPIRITED, OR FOR SOMEONE THAT WAS USED
TO HAVING THE CRUST CUT OFF OF THE BREAD USED TO MAKE THEIR FLUFFER NUTTERS. IT WAS A SCHOOL OF MANY INTRIGUING QUALITIES
AND AN ABUNDANCE OF MARITIME HISTORY. IT WAS A SCHOOL THAT GAVE
A PERSON MORE HANDS ON TRAINING, THAN COULD BE IMAGINED. IT HAS
SUBSEQUENTLY BECOME A COLLEGE IN THE MASSACHUSETTS EDUCATION SYSTEM. THIS BOOK, IS ABOUT THAT PERIOD OF TIME, WHEN ROCK AND ROLL WAS BRAND NEW, WHEN TELEVISION WAS 5 YEARS OLD, WHEN GASOLINE STILL COST 25 CENTS A GALLON AND THE DINOSAURS THAT USED REGULAR GAS, HAD STEEL DASHBOARDS, FINS, VENT WINDOWS AND THE HIGH BEAM SWITCH WAS ON THE FLOOR. I WENT TO THE PLACE
KNOWN AS "BUZZARDS GULCH" FROM 1962 UNTIL 1965. IF EVER THERE WAS A BOOK THAT TOLD THE STORY OF LEARNING BY DOING AND BECOMING
A REAL GUY, JUST BY SURVIVING. THIS IS THE BOOK. ANYONE THAT
SAILED ON BOARD A SHIP, WAS IN AN ROTC PROGRAM, WENT THROUGH
ANY OF THE SERVICE ACADEMIES, WAS IN THE SERVICE, WILL RELATE
TO THE STORY TOLD IN LETTERS TO LOU, THE SEQUEL. IT IS FUN TO READ, AND IT WILL TURN ON THE MOVIE THEATER IN YOUR MIND.
NO FOOLIN.