The Lords of Discipline: A Novel (original 1980; edition 2002)

Read it, don't remember it - to read again sometime.

When I attended the Citadel this book had been around for eight years. Many alum were sore about its publication and the portrayal of life at the institution. For my part I found the book - while fictitious - generally portrayed the attitudes and mores of the cadets accurately. Notice I did not say institution. The school tried for years, and by and large has succeeded, to eliminate much of what is portrayed herein. How much credit Conroy should get for that I cannot say. The book itself is a very good read. Conroy is an excellent writer. I read this book once before attending and once after attending and will read it again now that my twenty year reunion is approaching. ( )

This book began slowly as a character study. The narrator draws you into himself until you feel as though you become him, living his life with his disappointments, triumphs and pain. The prose is rich in drama and beauty. The characters are well-developed and it is difficult to put the book away when you put it down. The theme of how to maintain your humanity along with discipline and strength is a universal one. How does one do it? Some people go over the edge. This is a story about living on that edge. Gripping, dramatic and seemingly very unreal until you realize that it is not. It is very, very real in so many places for so many people.

WARNING: there is language in this book that will be painful for people. There is use of the n-word -- seemingly to make a point about widespread racism in southern and military society -- but some readers might still find it objectionable even in that context. ( )

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy follows Will McLean and his three roommates through their life at a military college, The Institute, in Charleston, South Carolina in the early 1960s. This is one of those books that I always wanted to read, but just never got around to it. Once I started, I could not put it down. This book draws on every emotion as these very different young men come together to share the joys and tragedies of their four years together. The good times are as good as they get, and the bad times are worse than anything they had ever experienced. They learn that some people will go to any length and do almost anything to preserve their way of life.

The way Pat Conroy, through Will McLean, describes the city of Charleston is beautiful and rich. He talks about The South from the perspective of one born and raised there. I was absolutely blown away when one of cadets mentioned, who plays a pivotal role in the story, was from my hometown. Over and over, I read about “Bobby Bentley from Ocilla, Georgia.” Through his relationship with Bobby Bentley, Will’s decisions affect his three roommates in ways that he could have never imagined.

The lives of the characters and their families are forever changed because of the four years at The Institute. The Lords of Discipline is not a feel good book. It is a story of the refusal to quit when everything seems hopeless; it is a story about honor. ( )

I'm not sure what I think about this novel. I can't decide if I liked it or not. The language didn't bother me like it did some people. What else would you expect from bunch of 18-21-year-old boys/men in a military setting? I wasn't surprised at the amount of violence, but I was surprised at the level of violence and the apparent enjoyment the tormentors took from it.

So many of the characters were extremely selfish, especially Annie Kate and Tradd, and others seemed more like stereotypes or caricatures. Will McLean, the main character and narrator of the story, was a little too good to be real. I would have liked him better if he'd been more flawed or at least did not recognize all his flaws and feel guilty for them. Real people don't see themselves so completely.

I liked the plots that centered around the school much better than the side plots outside the campus. The ending was not a surprise. I was ready for Conroy to get to it already by the time the truth was revealed.

Dan John Miller did an awesome job with the narration. Overall Lords of Discipline held my attention, but it's not a book I would reread or add to my personal collection. ( )