Soldier’s Heart by Elizabeth Samet is a slim volume that would have escaped my attention had I not chanced upon a brief review of it a couple of months ago. This rather meditative memoir by a woman –a civilian–who teaches literature at West Point is a gem—elegantly written, literary ,yet unpretentious, and surprisingly moving.

Samet sets out with the premise that literature can make a difference in how these young men perceive the world—giving them a broader sense of self , making them more aware and humane when they actually become soldiers in wartime—And to try to achieve that goal she hits them with the heavy stuff—Thucydides, Tolstoy, modern poetry from WWI and even some film classics—and —-they, for the most part, “get it”. These future warriors come across as not only honorable, intelligent and disciplined young men, but often seem more complex and thoughtful in their reasoning and more intellectually curious than I would have expected students at a military academy to be.

Her love of literature is contagious. And her “take” on some of the classics in light of who her audience is— i.e. young men about to be put in harm’s way—-in a very real way–( big time )—-lends a new perspective to some of the works. I found her references to War and Peace so intriguing and insightful that I’ve finally gained the courage to tackle this ultimate of literary tomes.

Finally—- however you may feel about war in general or this hideously conceived conflict we’re mired in now, you will come away from reading this book sharing the admiration Samset feels for these earnest, dedicated young men that she teaches, and hopefully with a new appreciation for the role that literature can play in people’s lives. But as Samet concedes in a heartbreaking moment that “There is no preparation–not in the Bible, not in The Aeneid, not in Henry James–wholly adequate to some of the experiences they may well endure.” -Billie

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