The Boo

by Pat Conroy

Book Overview

The acclaimed author of two major bestsellers--The Lords of Discipline and The Prince of Tides--offers the reading public his very first book. The Boo is the story of Conroy's experience as a cadet at The Citadel under the command of Lt. Colonel Thomas Nugent Courvoisie, otherwise known as The Boo. (Mockingbird Books)

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0891760415
• ISBN13: 9780891760412
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: R Bemis Pub
• Weight: 0.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.2" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

A young writer finds his voice...

Pat Conroy is my favorite author, and after reading everything else that he has written, I decided to pick up a copy of The Boo. The Boo is Conroy's first book, and the only way he got it published was to publish it himself. The story started when Conroy was fresh out of The Citadel and still wet behind the ears. He discovered that the beloved Thomas Nugent "The Boo" Courvoisie, Commandant of Cadets at The Citadel, was fired from his job. At The Citadel, the Boo could best be described as a character--calling all of his cadets "lambs" and himself The Good Shepherd. If you were naughty, you were a bum, and if not, you were called Bubba. While meting out discipline and demerits, the Boo proved to be a father figure to most of the cadets and tried to make this military college a little more palatable. The Boo is actually a collection of short stories, anecdotes, letters, cartoons and photographs. And it's not just about The Boo, but The Citadel and the Corps of Cadets as well. Many of them are hysterical, but not all endings were happy at The Citadel. The Fourth Class System could be brutal (and even fatal) for those who were weak or couldn't survive. This book also includes a glossary to help the reader keep track of those military terms Conroy throws around such as brace, rack, pop-off, shako, plebe, knob, etc. Some of the definitions are a hoot including:Clemson-a cow pasture in the upper part of the stateVMI-a school burned by the Yankees during the Civil War and unfortunately rebuilt soon afterwardsWhy this book is so great for a Conroy fan is that it gives the reader a peak at the writer Conroy would later become. The Citadel was not a nurturing environment for aspiring writers, although Conroy did have a few mentors there. The Boo gave Conroy a voice, and even he admits that this book is "The Lords of Discipline in embryo," which became his first best-selling novel. In the movie version of The Lords of Discipline, the character of Boo (called Bear in the movie) is wonderfully played by Robert Prosky. Since Conroy became a famous author, The Boo has been re-released, and he even writes a new introduction. So for Conroy diehards, The Boo is an absolute must. While it is not great literature and doesn't quite measure up to his later and more famous work, it does provide us with a picture of where this talented author has come from.

The Boo

I think it is a great look at the other side of the cadet life. As a Citadel Cadet I really liked the book.

Excellent view of The Citadel

This book is a biographical/autobiographical novel about Pat Conroy's experiences in the Citadel, especially as they relate to The Boo, the Colonel in charge of The Citadel at the time Conroy attended. There are letters, memos, and anecdotes about The Boo's relationship with others in the school.I found this to be an excellent portrayal of Citadel life. We on the outside think of the cadets as stern and commanding, but this book showed them being human. It also showed the sense of humor that The Boo had when dealing with the "Lambs" and the "Bums".I found this book to be especially interesting after reading Lords of Discipline because I could see how autobiographical that novel was. Many of the experiences the characters had in Lords of Discipline came from acual experiences the cadets had in the Citadel.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Conroy's work, especially Lords of Discipline. I liked the insights I got into his character.

Excellent tribute to Conroy's teacher!!!!

I had searched for this book everywhre and finally got it through this site. It was well worth all the hunting! My Conroy collection is complete, and I strongly recommend this book to all Conroy fans! The other novels make so much more sense after reading this first book!

Reality of the Military College

Pat Conroy wrote the Lords of Discipline not only out of the desire to write and be published, but to give us an insight as to what went on inside the Citadel walls. I think only a person who knows what actually goes on there could write such a book. Of course, Mr. Conroy is persona non grata at the Citadel. His portrayal of the school is less than favorable, but very realistic. The letters written between Courvoisie and the mother are excerpts of actual letters. Conroy did not make these up. Read to see what this fascinating man had to answer. I found The Boo to be truly revealing about life at The Citadel. This is the only book Conroy wrote in which he did not make a significant effort to mask those involved.