Synopses & Reviews
Lipsky, a Rolling Stone writer and an award-winning novelist, chronicles daily life at the U.S. Military Academy during the most tumultuous period in its history.
In 1998, West Point made David Lipsky an unprecedented offer: stay at the Academy as long as you like, go wherever you wish, talk to whomever you want, to discover why some of America's most promising young people sacrifice so much to become cadets. Lipsky followed one cadet class into mess halls, barracks, classrooms, bars, and training exercises, from arrival through graduation. By telling their stories, he also examines the Academy as a reflection of our society: Are its principles of equality, patriotism, and honor quaint anachronisms or is it still, as Theodore Roosevelt called it, the most "absolutely American" institution?
During arguably the most eventful four years in West Point's history, Lipsky witnesses the arrival of TVs and phones in dorm rooms, the end of hazing, and innumerable other shifts in policy and practice known collectively as The Changes. He uncovers previously unreported scandals and poignantly evokes the aftermath of September 11, when cadets must prepare to become officers in wartime.
Absolutely American spotlights a remarkable ensemble of characters: a former Eagle Scout who struggles with every facet of the program, from classwork to marching; a foul-mouthed party animal who hates the military and came to West Point to play football; a farm-raised kid who seems to be the perfect soldier, despite his affection for the early work of Georgia Oand#8217;Keeffe; and an exquisitely turned-out female cadet who aspires to "a career in hair and nails" after the Army. These cadets and their classmates are transformed in fascinating, sometimes astonishing, ways by one of America's most mythologized and least understood challenges. Many of them thrive under the rigorous regimen; others battle endlessly just to survive it. A few give up the fight altogether.
Lipsky's extensive experience covering college students for Rolling Stone helped him gain an exceptional degree of trust and candor from both cadets and administrators. They offer frank insights on drug use, cheating, romance, loyalty, duty, patriotism, and the Army's tortuous search for meaning as new threats loom.
Review
"A fascinating, funny and tremendously well written account of life on the Long Gray Line." --Lev Grossman Time Magazine
"[A]ddictive . . . could inspire even nonmilitary buffs to follow the cadets' careers like those of their favorite sports stars..." --T. Trent Gegax Newsweek
"A superb description of modern military culture,...one of the most gripping accounts of university life [I've] read..." --David Brooks The New York Times Book Review
and#147;Illuminatingand#133;Lipsky has done a distinguished service to a proud school.and#8221; --Wook Kim Entertainment Weekly
and#147;Immensely richand#133;A genuinely evocative and wonderfully detailed portrait of an absolutely American institution.and#8221; --Brian Palmer
Newsday
Synopsis
One of the greatest stories in American sports history: how the 1944 Army team beat Navy, captured a championship, and inspired a nation at war.
and#8220;There never has been a sports event, perhaps never an event of any kind, that received the attention of so many Americans in so many places around the world.and#8221; So wrote a reporter on December 2, 1944, about the greatest Army-Navy football game in the long history of that storied rivalry. World War II raged; President Roosevelt was seriously ill, only a few months away from death; and Americans on the home front suffered through shortagesand#8212;including, just days before the game, a Thanksgiving without turkey or pie. But for one day, all that was forgotten.
Armyand#8217;s team was ranked number 1, Navyand#8217;s number 2. Armyand#8217;s years of football misery had been lifted by a wartime team and a brilliant coach who made them a contender. If they beat Navy, they would be national champions. For a few short hours the war seemed to stop, as U.S. soldiers around the world tuned in to a broadcast of the game and turned their thoughts toward home.
Randy Roberts has interviewed surviving players and coaches for nearly a decade to bring to life one of the most memorable stories in all of American sports. For three years, Army football upperclassmen had graduated and joined the fight, from Normandy beaches to Pacific atolls. For three hours, their alma mater gave them back one unforgettable performance.
Synopsis
In the late 1950s the once vaunted Green Bay Packers were a laughing stock. They hadn't fielded a winning teamand#160;in more than a decadeand#160;and were very nearly in jeopardy of losing their franchise to another city.and#160;The ultimate low came inand#160;1958, when, withand#160;7 future Hall of Famers on the team, they went a lousy 1-10-1 under a too-soft coach, Scooter McLean. They were desperately in need of a savior, and he arrived via wood-paneled station wagon in the dead of winter from New York City.
and#160;
THAT FIRST SEASON chronicles Vince Lombardi's remarkable first year as head coach with the franchise he would reinvent and etch forever in football history. In a single year, as the grizzled coach who took no bull, he would transform a team ofand#160;underachievers into winners and reignite a city known for its passion for its sport. Based on exhaustive new research and interviews, THAT FIRST SEASON is the seldom-studied prequel to a football career marked by greatness.and#160; Eisenberg pushes away the mist that surrounds the Lombardi legend to bring readers the real story of how the seeds of a football dynasty were sown.and#160; He also brings alive an incredible ensemble tale of a team, a town and their leader.
Synopsis
When Vince Lombardi took the job of coaching the Green Bay Packers in 1959, he inherited a team that had gone from legendary to laughing stock. They hadnand#8217;t fielded a winning team in over a decade and had gone 1-10-1 in the 1958 season despite having seven future Hall of Famers on the team. They were a team accustomed to losing and in desperate need of a turnaround.and#160;
That First Seasonchronicles that turnaround at the hands of Lombardi, himself serving as a head coach for the first time. The Packers were a team of talented underachievers more used to lax coaching and late nights than grueling practices and curfews. Lombardiand#8217;s no-bull coaching style helped hammer them into winners who operated with machine-like precision. Every football fan knows that the Packers under Lombardi were champions, but
That First Seasonshows how he did it, bringing readers the inside story of a sports dynasty.
Synopsis
The story of how the 1944 West Point football team went undefeated, captivating and inspiring the nation in the process.
Synopsis
[please set this to resemble an old telegram if possible:] 3 DECEMBER 1944
URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT
TO LT COL EARL BLAIK
US MILITARY ACADEMY
WEST POINT NY
THE GREATEST OF ALL ARMY TEAMS STOP WE HAVE STOPPED THE WAR TO CELEBRATE YOUR MAGNIFICENT SUCCESS
MACARTHUR
Praise for A TEAM FOR AMERICA
“This is a terrific book, a glorious look at a time when college football—and particularly the annual Army-Navy game—helped stitch the country together.”—Ken Burns
“A rousing celebration of a moment in history when college football was more than metaphor and entertainment, it was a gritty sidebar to real war.”—Robert Lipsyte, author of An Accidental Sportswriter
“Thoroughly researched, and containing many acute character analyses . . . Randy Roberts has taken me back in time as if the events had occurred only yesterday.”—John S. D. Eisenhower, West Point class of 1944
“The story of Army’s celebrated 1944 national championship team is a fascinating one . . . But Randy Roberts’s A Team for America tells an even greater story. It is a story of our country. Of a time when college football—and this remarkable Army team—helped rekindle hope and confidence throughout the land.”—Brigadier General Peter M. Dawkins, U.S. Army (ret.), 1958 Heisman Trophy winner, West Point
Synopsis
Including a decadeand#8217;s worth of interviews with surviving players and coaches, Randy Roberts describes how the resurgent Army football team captured the national championship from Navy in the midst of World War Two. One of the greatest stories in American sports history, A Team for America shows how two historic rivals built up their teams in trying times and inspired a nation at war.
Synopsis
Each year the Army and Navy football teams meet for one epic game. Across the nation, fans tune in to see who will emerge victorious. But no game will ever match the one that was played on December 2, 1944. America was in the midst of World War II: soldiers and sailors were dying in around the globe, and the homefront suffered through shortages. But for one day, all that was forgotten. Navys team was ranked number 2, Army, number 1 and on the verge of becoming national champions. Everywhere, the war stopped as soldiers listened to the broadcast. Randy Roberts has interviewed the surviving players and coaches, bringing their stories to life. For three years, military upperclassmen graduated and joined the fight. For three hours, their alma mater gave them back one unforgettable performance.
Synopsis
andquot;A rousing celebration of a moment in history when college football was more than metaphor and entertainment, it was a gritty sidebar to real war.andrdquo; andmdash; Robert Lipsyte, author of An Accidental Sportswriter Each year the Army and Navy football teams meet for one epic game. Across the nation, fans tune in to see who will emerge victorious. But no game will ever match the one that was played on December 2, 1944. America was in the midst of World War II: soldiers and sailors were dying around the globe, and the home front suffered through shortages. But for one day, all that was forgotten.
Navyandrsquo;s team was ranked number two, Armyandrsquo;s number one and on the verge of becoming national champions. Everywhere, the war stopped as soldiers listened to the broadcast. Randy Roberts has interviewed the surviving players and coaches, bringing their stories to life. For three years, military upperclassmen graduated and joined the fight. For three hours, their alma mater gave them back one unforgettable performance.
andldquo;The story of Armyandrsquo;s celebrated 1944 national championship team is a fascinating one, and its victory over Navy that year is remembered as one of college footballandrsquo;s greatest games. But Randy Robertsandrsquo;s A Team for America tells an even greater story. It is a story of our country. Of a time when college football andmdash; and this remarkable Army team andmdash; helped rekindle hope and confidence throughout the land.andrdquo; andmdash; Brigadier General Peter M. Dawkins, U.S. Army (Ret.), 1958 Heisman Trophy winner, West Point
andquot;Roberts brings a historianandrsquo;s thoroughness to the subject . . . A fascinating time in American collegiate sports history.andquot; andmdash; Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
The untold story of Vince Lombardi's first season as coach of the 1959 Green Bay Packers.
Synopsis
John Eisenberg's That First Season is the seldom-studied prequel to a phenomenal football career for Vince Lombardi and the Packers, drawing on exhaustive new research and interviews to tell an incredible ensemble tale of a team, a town, and their leader. and#160;
The once-vaunted Green Bay Packers were a laughing stock by the late 1950s. They hadn't fielded a winning team in more than a decade and were close to losing their franchise to another city. They were in desperate need of a savior, and he arrived in a wood-paneled station wagon in the dead of winter from New York City. In a single year, Vince Lombardiand#8212;the grizzled coach who took no bulland#8212;transformed a team of underachievers into winners and resurrected a city known for its passion for sport.
About the Author
RANDY ROBERTS is a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University.andnbsp;His previous books include John Wayne:andnbsp;American (coauthored with James Olson), Joe Louis:andnbsp;Hard Times Man, and Papa Jack:andnbsp;Jack Johnson and the Era of White Hopes among others.andnbsp;He is married to Marjie Traylor Roberts and father to twin daughters, Alison and Kelly.
Table of Contents
Prologueand#8195;ix
and#160;1.and#160;A Week in Novemberand#8195;1
and#160;2.and#160;Where the Most Football Games Are Lostand#8195;20
and#160;3.and#160;A Few Good Boysand#8195;43
and#160;4.and#160;Lost Teeth and Lost Chancesand#8195;63
and#160;5.and#160;and#8220;God Gave Me Thatand#8221;and#8195;82
and#160;6.and#160;Making the Gradeand#8195;98
and#160;7.and#160;Historic Hoursand#8195;113
and#160;8.and#160;and#8220;Iand#8217;ve Just Seen Supermanand#8221;and#8195;127
and#160;9.and#160;Warm-Upand#8195;151
and#160;10.and#160;Paybackand#8195;176
and#160;11.and#160;Cause for Thanksgivingand#8195;198
and#160;12.and#160;A Game for Americaand#8195;216
Epilogueand#8195;233
After the 1944 Seasonand#8195;236
Acknowledgmentsand#8195;241
Notes and Abbreviationsand#8195;245
Indexand#8195;258