Soldier's Heart: Reading Literature Through Peace and War at West Point
Elizabeth D. Samet, 2007
Macmillan Picador
288 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780312427825
Summary
In 1997 Elizabeth D. Samet began teaching English at the United States Military Academy at West Point after completing her doctorate at Yale University. She encountered stark contrasts and surprising similarities between the two campuses, but nothing fully prepared her for the experience of watching her students and colleagues deploy to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other turbulent corners of the world.
What does literature—particularly the literature of war—mean to a student who is likely to encounter its reality? What is the best way to stir uninhibited classroom discussions in a setting that is designed to train students to follow orders, respect authority, and survive grueling physical and mental experiences? This is the terrain Samet traverses each semester, a challenge beautifully captured in Soldier’s Heart.
Taking its name from a World War I term for a condition akin to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Samet’s memoir offers insights into America’s newest generations of cadets. In each chapter she reflects on a rich trove of literature, from Homer’s ancient epics to the work of modern and contemporary authors such as Wilfred Owen, Virginia Woolf, Randall Jarrell, E.L. Doctorow, and Tim O’Brien.
For many of her students, reading brings solace and inspiration. For others, it sparks an examination of doubts or fears. In all cases, Samet’s courses provide exhilarating arenas for the young men and women of West Point to explore life and language. (From the publisher