God forgives, brothers don't : the long march of military education and the making of American manhood / Jasper Craven.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Craven, Jasper, 1992- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Masculinity--United States--History.

Masculinity.

Military education--Social aspects--United States--History.

Military education.

Sociology, Military--United States--History.

Sociology, Military.

War and society--United States--History.

War and society.

Masculinity--History.

Military education--Social aspects.

Sociology, Military--History.

War and society--History.

United States.

Genre:

Informational works.

Physical Description:

xxii, 329 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

First One Signal Publishers/Atria hardcover edition.

Other Title:

God forgives, brothers do not

Long march of military education and the making of American manhood

Place of Publication:

New York : One Signal Publishers/Atria, 2026.

Summary:

In an unflinching narrative, Craven explores how the military has come to define American masculinity and how it often fosters its most toxic traits. Beginning with the American Revolution, Craven shows how the birth of our nation required a new masculine ideal, crafted in the image of George Washington. During the brutality of the Civil War, Craven traces the parallel violence in military hazing culture and the deeply prejudicial culture at places like West Point, which reared Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee, and other famed Confederates. The first and second World Wars escalated the need for battle-ready youth, and briefly resulted in a relatively noble male archetype, while the Cold War precipitated backlash, resentment, and trauma. This era also marked the beginning of the Christian right's growing interest in military schools as upholding a patriarchal and fatalistic version of manhood. Vietnam and the antiwar movement fueled the rise of the "troubled teen" and the lying, lawless "operator," embodied by graduates such as William Westmoreland and Oliver North. As he chronicles the forever wars, Craven brings us up to today, where the military has further burrowed into civilian education. Meanwhile, policies like "don't ask, don't tell" and a campaign of Islamophobia, misogyny, and homophobia have crafted a new manhood that is defined by its ability to both diminish and dehumanize "the other" while also being self-destructive.

Contents:

Introduction: Illiberal Arts

The Founding Father

The Thayer Method

The Sons of Mars

Scabbard and Blade

Weakness is a Crime

Cadets for Christ

The Bad Apples

The Death of Honor

The Silence

The Last Class with Balls

Soldier of Fortune

Shit Screen

Strange Love

No Child Left Behind

The Crusade

COIN of the Realm

Lifting the Veil

The Enemy Within

My Generals

Conclusion: Rest in Peace

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 301-320) and index.

ISBN:

9781668087190

1668087197

OCLC:

1563982474

Publisher Number:

90104576241

CIPO000375459