Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth D. Samet (Author)
Key Phrases: new cadets, books are weapons, harder right, West Point, World War, Civil War (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Azar Nafisi meets David Lipsky in this memoir/meditation on crossing the border between the civilian world of literature and the world of the military during 10 years of teaching English at West Point. Samet's students sometimes respond to literature in ways that trouble her, but she lauds their intellectual courage as they negotiate the multiple contradictions of military life. Considering the link between literature and war, Samet insightfully explores how Vietnam fiction changed American literary discourse about the heroism of military service. Beyond books, Samet also examines how televised accounts of the Iraq War have turned American civilians into war's insulated voyeurs, and discusses the gap separating her from the rest of the audience watching a documentary on Iraq. Lighter, gently humorous sections reveal Samet's feelings about army argot. She has been known to ask her mother to meet her at 1800 instead of at 6:00 p.m., but she forbids the use of the exclamation Hooah!(an affirmative expression of the warrior spirit) in her classroom. Samet is prone to digressions that break the flow of great stories, like an account of her West Point job interview. But this meditation on war, teaching and literature is sympathetic, shrewd and sometimes profound. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
"What’s the difference, ma’am? I’ll be in Iraq within a year anyway," contends a cadet in Elizabeth Samet’s English class. Soldier’s Heart responds by making a graceful, compelling case that reading forces her students to slow down and reflect on such timeless themes as courage, honor, and sacrifice, which results in better, more thoughtful soldiers. Part memoir, the book also examines her teaching career and shares her opinions of religion in the military and the war in Iraq. It is her sketches of students and colleagues that stand out, however, as she challenges stereotypes and provides a moving tribute to these proud, admirable men and women. By demonstrating that reading has an important place in the military, she makes a strong case for its value in civilian life as well.
Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (October 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374180636
• ISBN-13: 978-0374180638
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #225,479 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Book, October 25, 2007

By	Richard B. Schwartz (Columbia, Missouri USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Elizabeth Samet is a civilian professor of English at West Point. The increase in the number of civilians teaching there was one of the innovations of Fletcher Lamkin, during his term as the WP dean of the academic board. When I taught there, as a reserve officer, in 1967-9 there was only one civilian instructor in English, a woman who taught the plastic arts. Dr. Samet is a Yale Ph.D. and her (to some, curious) career choice of a position at West Point is one of the many stories which constitute this book.

She is able to accomplish several things here. She provides a vivid sense of the WP ethos, along with the `newer' ethos which includes women cadets, civilian professors, majors, minors, and a rich array of electives. She provides sketches and portraits of a number of her students and a number of her military colleagues. She reports on their communications with her as they move on in their careers, to and from war zones and, for some, to civilian life. The book is a mini-memoir and mini-autobiography. Most of all it is a long reflection on the relationship between literature and life, literature and the military, literature and war.

What is most impressive about the book is the fact that it is so accessible. Its materials are complex but they are presented in a manner that is instructive, moving and compelling. This is a book for everyone interested in literature, for everyone interested in soldiers and for everyone interested in West Point. I recommend it highly.

19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short book with a big impact, November 19, 2007

By	David Hale (Falls Church, VA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A few weeks ago this author was on my local NPR station and I was intrigued by the idea of her book and then I got out of my car and walked into a book store and there it was on the new arrivals pile. I'm not sure if I would have noticed it if not for the story on the radio but I'm glad I did. As a former Army officer who has dealt with some of the issues in this book I was pulled in by her stories of teaching at West Point, an institution I did not attend but have visited and those visits made her descriptions that much more palpable. This book will be a jumping off point to explore more of the references the author describes. I rarely find books that I can't put down but this was one of them.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Written, But Why?, July 19, 2008

By	Ricardo Caputo (New York) - See all my reviews

"Soldiers Heart" is a good idea for a book. Ever since reading the current Remick book "Understanding West Point" and his 1999 forerunner "Mr. Jefferson's Academy", both of which were unique in making extensive use of literature, I have liked the idea that soldiers can go into combat armed with literature in their psyche as well as courage in their hearts. The authors show that you can have both. Truthfully, however, I must say, I do get the impression that, before this book, the good Ms. Stamet had not done anything too remarkable in her life to warrant her making this book into somewhat of an autobiography. Though I do not like the author's liberal flavor of current events and her political correctness (and surprised West Point has someone like that teaching there) she HAS accomplished a remarkable feat writing a book like "Soldier's Heart" right under the noses of those who are supposed to be the Army's watchdogs of officer education. So, congratulations to Ms. Stamet on a well written book and on pulling this off.
"Soldier's Heart inspired me to read other books on this same "west point" web page of Amazon.com. Speaking of the Remick book, one of those books (that I now think is probably the best practical book on leadership I've read) is the other current Remick book, "West Point: Beyond Leadership of Character". I would highly recommend it to every cadet and graduate who cares about their own future. As Ms. Stamet "dared" to write the politically correct book, "Soldier's Heart", Remick "dared" to write a book about going even beyond the leadership of character they teach at West Point. In any event, I commend "Soldier's Heart" as good, and I also recommend you go from good to great by reading "West Point: Beyond Leadership of Character"