Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Battle Dress by Amy Efaw

Battle DressThis was a great read for so many reasons. It's an intriguing look into life at West Point, what the cadets go through their first six weeks, the beat down they receive before they are built back up as new, stronger people. It seems just like a lot of yelling and degradation at first, but by the end, it made sense to me.

Andi comes from a very dysfunctional family. At first, she feels like she's stepped from the frying pan into the fire, but soon in the middle of being called a knucklehead and learning how to be a team with her squadron, she sees the light...and most important of all, she goes from being a follower to a leader. It was in her all along, she just didn't have the confidence to assert herself.


The book contained many LOL moments, but the strongest theme of all, at least to me, was becoming a leader and building confidence. In the beginning, Andi felt her family held her back. By the end, Andi realized she was holding herself back.


Lots of educational stuff. MREs, BDUs, obstacles, marching songs.. It's a fountain of information for anyone wanting to know more about basic training.


I have one complaint only...that we never see Andi take on her family again. There was one part where a higher up said that when they went home for the holidays, their own family wouldn't recognize them. I think that should have been a scene. I'd also like to know what the heck was wrong with her mother. LOL


Still, five bikes. The book really impacted me.


I bought it in the store a while back.





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