ferris_mx's review against another edition
5.0
If a bit heavy handed in its foreshadowing, this book was still quite excellent. The story of personal growth and the difference between putative honor and actual honor, and the protagonist's introspection and personal growth, were really well handled. Much better than Prince of Tides.
kellydemchuk's review against another edition
4.5
Hard to rate as so much of it was tough to read (racist language & so much toxic male behavior), but Conroy is such a good writer and I loved the sense of humor and wittiness of Will. He was definitely an admirable character & the banter amongst the friends/men/classmates was often hilarious (and brutal)
elspry1234's review against another edition
5.0
I can’t possibly express my love for this book other then when people ask me my favorite book, I answer without pause “The Lords of Discipline”. I love this book with my whole heart. It is at times painful to read, the depth of emotion and hurt and struggle are immense. So many enormous themes are tackled carefully and in such a way that they unfold as you read. I love this book.
laura_blackmore's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sarah_yang's review against another edition
5.0
“Fox and Newman were smoking cigarettes and put them out on my arms…They jerked me up. I was put against the wall bracing, all fourteen of them still with me, all fourteen of their mouths pressing in upon me…five times I fainted. The screams again…”
Lords of Discipline was certainly different than anything I have ever read previously because of the sheer intense nature of the events that happen in this book. The book was extremely graphic in nature, so I understand why the book was banned/challenged. While I was reading the book, there were multiple instances where I had to put the book down to have time to take in the sheer rawness of the novel. There was one moment when I without any rhyme or reason burst out enraged at what just happened in the book. The book was fairly easy for me to get into, but that is not to say it was easy to read the content of this book.
The book revolves around the cadets at a military school by the name of The Citadel. The lives of the cadets revolve around their abuse from the higher-ups. Will McLean, the main character in the book, along with his friends have to face much abuse in order to get through their plebe year, which is their first year at the school. His abuse is perceived to make him into an honorable “Institute” man, but does being an “Institute” man justify the actions of abuse? Are the actions of the victimizers caused by the call of vengeance for their plebe years many years ago?
The reasons for the the book’s banning become obvious as soon as you start to read the first chapter. You are introduced to the book with an almost instantaneous barrage of sexual innuendo that no child should be subject to. As the book progresses, more and more reasons for banning come about like a hooded figure lying in wait to bombard you. The book references insane amounts of profanity on every single page without fail, but this isn’t really what bothers me; it’s the constant talk of how much torture every cadet had to endure in their plebe year. Jana referenced how much the cadets had to go through in their plebe year to their breaking point, and I couldn’t agree more. All of this book talks about the many instances where the cadets, especially Will, had to be subject to torture from the higher-ups that left them in states of no repair.
The book, I feel, is necessary in its brutality because it shows just how far people will go to keep positions of power. This book is not for everyone, but I would recommend this book for anyone who knows they can take the controversy all throughout the book. There are many topics in this book that could trigger a negative visceral response from certain people, but the overall message of this book is extremely intentional because Pat Conroy wanted you to see the possible depravity of the world around us. Despite all the controversy surrounding this book, this book kept me intrigued the entire time because of it’s phenomenal writing style and the seemingly real situations that left me feeling as if I was actually experiencing these situations firsthand.
Lords of Discipline was certainly different than anything I have ever read previously because of the sheer intense nature of the events that happen in this book. The book was extremely graphic in nature, so I understand why the book was banned/challenged. While I was reading the book, there were multiple instances where I had to put the book down to have time to take in the sheer rawness of the novel. There was one moment when I without any rhyme or reason burst out enraged at what just happened in the book. The book was fairly easy for me to get into, but that is not to say it was easy to read the content of this book.
The book revolves around the cadets at a military school by the name of The Citadel. The lives of the cadets revolve around their abuse from the higher-ups. Will McLean, the main character in the book, along with his friends have to face much abuse in order to get through their plebe year, which is their first year at the school. His abuse is perceived to make him into an honorable “Institute” man, but does being an “Institute” man justify the actions of abuse? Are the actions of the victimizers caused by the call of vengeance for their plebe years many years ago?
The reasons for the the book’s banning become obvious as soon as you start to read the first chapter. You are introduced to the book with an almost instantaneous barrage of sexual innuendo that no child should be subject to. As the book progresses, more and more reasons for banning come about like a hooded figure lying in wait to bombard you. The book references insane amounts of profanity on every single page without fail, but this isn’t really what bothers me; it’s the constant talk of how much torture every cadet had to endure in their plebe year. Jana referenced how much the cadets had to go through in their plebe year to their breaking point, and I couldn’t agree more. All of this book talks about the many instances where the cadets, especially Will, had to be subject to torture from the higher-ups that left them in states of no repair.
The book, I feel, is necessary in its brutality because it shows just how far people will go to keep positions of power. This book is not for everyone, but I would recommend this book for anyone who knows they can take the controversy all throughout the book. There are many topics in this book that could trigger a negative visceral response from certain people, but the overall message of this book is extremely intentional because Pat Conroy wanted you to see the possible depravity of the world around us. Despite all the controversy surrounding this book, this book kept me intrigued the entire time because of it’s phenomenal writing style and the seemingly real situations that left me feeling as if I was actually experiencing these situations firsthand.
good_winter's review against another edition
5.0
I was assigned a battered copy of this book my senior year of high school and I laughed. The cover art was stupid and I fully intended to coast the last semester of high school. I told this to my freshman English teacher, who I was very close with. She said "no, you'll want to read this one. We save that for last with good reason."
I gave it a shot, and I remember destroying the entire book in a week even though we had the entire semester, due to the length of the damn thing.
I knew I would re-read it again someday, and a decade later, I did. So incredibly powerful, The Lords of Discipline remains a testament to what it means to transition from boy into manhood. High school just wasn't the right time for me. Coming back to it so many years later, after finding it on the bargain rack outside HPB, it's like fate saying that it is finally time. Time to test what I have learned, time to taste that I have grown.
I gave it a shot, and I remember destroying the entire book in a week even though we had the entire semester, due to the length of the damn thing.
I knew I would re-read it again someday, and a decade later, I did. So incredibly powerful, The Lords of Discipline remains a testament to what it means to transition from boy into manhood. High school just wasn't the right time for me. Coming back to it so many years later, after finding it on the bargain rack outside HPB, it's like fate saying that it is finally time. Time to test what I have learned, time to taste that I have grown.
jessies's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
libby_herz's review against another edition
5.0
Just incredible. So well written, I wished I had started reading Conroy’s books earlier because I felt smarter every time I picked up this book. The plot isn’t super fast-paced, yet I never wanted to put the book down and felt so invested in the story and characters. The protagonist is relatable and witty yet the entire military academy and its inhabitants remain these unattainable feats of humanity. Definitely among my top favorite books.
judyward's review against another edition
3.0
I was considering buying South of Broad, the new novel by Pat Conroy, when I realized that I STILL hadn't read The Lords of Discipline which had been on my to-read list for over a decade. Okay, check it off. I think that so much time had gone by between Pat Conroy books that I had forgotten about his writing style that I find sometimes over the top. The story itself is gripping as it follows life in The Citadel (in a fictionalize form) during 1966, the year that it integrated. Pat Conroy is a graduate of The Citadel, with which he obviously maintains a love-hate relationship. A powerful story from which I occasionally had trouble looking away. Having lived through the turmoil of the civil rights years, this book brought to the surface many, many memories that I thought I had buried deeply enough to not have to deal with them again. I thought wrong. I'm very glad that I picked this book up, but now think that I will let some time go by before tackling another Conroy book.
machepol's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5