Pat Conroy - The Boo
In 1961, Lt. Colonel Nugent Courvoisie accepted the job as assistant commandant of cadets at The Citadel, the military college of South Carolina. During the next seven years, The Boo, as the cadets called him, was in charge of meting out punishment to those young men accused of breaking Citadel law. The Boo was a harsh guardian of justice, but he was also an extremely compassionate and sensitive individual who cared deeply about the young men placed under his jurisdiction. If he was often stern and uncompromising, he was also concerned and understanding. He possessed a special ability in dealing with the problem cadet; the boy who found The Citadel too difficult or too confining; the boy from the broken home, or the boy forced to go to a military college by parents who had failed him. He empathized with cadets who were stifled by the system and, in his own way, tried to guide them through the obstacles that inevitably littered the path to graduation.
The Boo was many things to many people. During the years as assistant commandant, he was part analyst, part confessor, part detective, part father, part son of a bitch, and all soldier.
This is the story of The Boo and the story of The Citadel from 1961-1968. It is the story of young men and the man they turned to for laughter, for help, and for inspiration.
Pat Conroy later wrote Lords of Discipline, loosely based on his affiliation with The Citadel.
You might enjoy these other titles by Pat Conroy: The Water is Wide, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline, Beach Music, My Losing Season.
Also, check out these other Southern authors: Anne Rivers Siddons, Cassandra King, and Terry Kay.
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