Customer Reviews

Understanding West Point: What Cadets Must Do at West Point, and Why

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Dear Mr. Remick: I read your book. At first skeptical of your choice of a dramatic dialogue as narrative vehicle, I soon saw the great value of your device --- ACCESSIBILITY! Accessibility to young readers and to non-academic minds of all ages. As a [course] designer, teacher, and supervisor of the First Class courses in philosophical readings in the seventies at West Point, I had the advantage of familiarty with many, if not most, of the philosophical ideas you present. Still, I found your necessarily simplified take on the history of ideas in general, and those pertinent to West Point in particular, to be understandable and compelling. Congratulations on accomplishing something I had long thought about doing. Thank goodness you have done it so I don't have to try it, but can merely give copies to those I want to UNDERSTAND ..... well, really to understand who we are! Of course, there will be those who will carp at your simplifications, and some will take exception to your interpretations [cartoons], ..... but you have done a BRILLIANT job.

Any reasonable, truth seeking person will find this work outstanding, especially for the young and for those who influence young people. It offers a touchstone for success for all walks of life. Mr. Remick has put into understandable words the importance of virtue for a successful US military and a moral United States.

I agree with Mr. Remick that virtue can be tought. I also agree that humans striving to learn virtue require an arduous and prolonged experience similar to the West Point experience.

Civil society requires a "remnent" of virtuous, well educated
leaders with moral character. The West Point model is a remarkable and unreplaceable resource for the continuation of our free republic.

Some friendly editing would make this book even better.

I wish to thank Amazon.com for making me aware of this book. Though I am a minister, I will not proselytize here on Amazon.com. I will simply say, this book is not just about West Point, it is a book, in my humble opinion, that every American should read. If you care about God, Country, and family, don't miss this book.

A breath of fresh air from all the typically dry, uninspiring, uncomprehensible, pretentious, high-brow, gadfly, skullduggery on the subject, which make good kindling for a fire.
Norman Thomas Remick is an interesting, independent scholar with a sense character and, more importantly, a sense of humor.
Do yourself a favor, and buy this book, because it's so original...scholarly text with cartoons and photos! This one won't collect too much dust. One of my favorites: P.289 The cartoon of Thomas Jefferson throwing up his hands saying, "STEADY ON THERE! I DIDN'T SAY A MILITARY ACADEMY WASN'T A GOOD IDEA. I ONLY SAID IT'S NOT CONSTITUTIONAL!"

This is simply the best book ever written about West Point, the college that Mr. Remick said Andrew Jackson called "simply the best school in the world". But this book is not for everyone ---- only every college applicant looking for a full scholarship, and, every parent, cadet, graduate, Jefferson fan, and history buff.

Although this book is creatively presented as a story, not written in a scholarly manner for presention to a historical journal, it does, in fact, give notice to the world of a new historical breakthrough by this researcher about Thomas Jefferson. Not a biography, it is one of the few books written in years that offers truly new historical information about Jefferson. It uncovers a hitherto secret, but incredibly important achievment by him as our 3rd President (I do not count the Sally Hemings story as important, which anyway, has since been discredited). To understand Thomas Jefferson the author draws on what Jefferson himself read and wrote, taking us on an interesting and educational journey through the historical/philosophical evolution of character and leadership, the common threads that connect America, West Point, and Thomas Jefferson. The practical upshot of this book's nexus between Jefferson, West Point, and American character and leadership is to remind or teach today's skeptical and hostile outside world that America and Americans are something substantially different than the impressions given by movies, television, and multi-national corporations.

Mr. Remick is a extraordinary, conversational and engaging writer who has done something wonderful with this book. It is like a trip through the world's best library, led by a tour-guide you completely trust. Highest recommendation.

I'm a Jefferson fan who found this to be fun to read and packed with information; serious lessons on character and leadership; the best I've read on West Point, and on Jefferson's thinking.

This book contains a lovely short biography of Thomas Jefferson, precious philosophical basics on character and leadership, and a wonderful section on how Jefferson and philosophy influence "the way it is" today for students being molded into leaders of character at West Point. But, most important to me, Mr. Remick has created a marvelous vehicle for conveying the values and ideals of America and Thomas Jefferson around the world. This book should certainly be more broadly promoted.

I just finished this book and thought it was great. I'm astonished to come back on Amazon to write this and see that dozens of mostly five star reviews are no longer on. What happened? I probably would be turned off reading this the way it looks now. Thank goodness I read it. As I said, it was great. I highly recommend you ignore those suspicious one star reviews and get this book. You won't be sorry.