Overview

"""...reveals the secret ingredients to why strong traditions at VMI have remained for almost two hundred years and the influence society has had on the school to change with the times."" -Destiny Jennifer Ringgold, author of Choosing the Harder Right: West Point's 1976 Cheating Scandal ""Simpson has drawn back the veil to reveal this legendary and mysterious Southern institution."" -James Gallager, MSc., geologist Since 1839, the Virginia Military Institute has sought to produce graduates of honor and integrity, citizen-soldiers, and leaders. Graduates have had extraordinary success in landing jobs throughout the decades, becoming military officers or gaining acceptance to graduate schools. After wondering for decades why her husband chose to attend a military college, Mayling Simpson began a quest for answers. Lives Guided by Honor reveals the secret formula of VMI's success by focusing on VMI's Class of 1968. Simpson examines the history of VMI through an anthropologist's lens, along with the architecture and art of the post (campus) and the Institute's changes through time, to explain how VMI uniquely influences and forms its students. Lives Guided by Honor is for historians, history buffs, alumni of military colleges, educators, and prospective students."

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"""Lives Guided by Honor completely undresses Virginia Military Institute to the shirt stays and high black socks. Mayling Simpson gives an honest examination of VMI. All readers-whether a potential cadet, an alumnus, or a parent-can benefit from this white glove inspection. As part of the second class of women to attend VMI, I had my own love affair with the institute, one that leaves bruises and scratch marks. Questioning one's sanity in choosing this type of college is a normal part of being a rat in the Rat Line! Now more than ever, we need warriors, individuals with integrity, discipline, honesty, and perseverance to stand up for our country. With an education system that is weakening our teens with propaganda and dumbing down our society, the need for institutions like VMI has only grown. Warriors have to be made, and VMI is making them one sweat party at a time. Lives Guided by Honor: How VMI Shaped the Class of 1968 reveals the secret ingredients to why strong traditions at VMI have remained for almost two hundred years and the influence society has had on the school to change with the times. I highly recommend."" -Destiny Jennifer Ringgold, author of Choosing the Harder Right: West Point's 1976 Cheating Scandal ""Simpson has drawn back the veil to reveal this legendary and mysterious Southern institution. The writing style, subject presentation, and well-crafted structure kept me engaged with the subject, which, otherwise, could have been a very dry reading experience. She recognized that VMI was a very different educational experience than for most college students. For this reason, the only way for an outsider to understand and appreciate the stories of the Class of 1968 was to provide context. This required her to present a history of VMI and the evolution of its institutional culture. VMI alumni, historians, and American history buffs would be interested in this book. For a potential VMI applicant, I would say that this book would be an excellent source for understanding the culture of VMI. Indeed, a seventeen-year-old who would take the time to read this excellent portrait might have what it takes to be a successful cadet. Overall, the book is a significant contribution to American history."" -James Gallager, MSc., geologist ""In Lives Guided by Honor: How VMI Shaped the Class of 1968, Mayling Elizabeth Simpson navigates the complex terrain of VMI's past as readers witness the profound impact of the institution's strict honor code and unwavering ethics on the graduating Class of 1968. Simpson skillfully weaves together personal narratives, institutional evolution, and societal shifts, creating a compelling narrative that goes beyond the walls of VMI. Lives Guided by Honor is a thought-provoking exploration of how an institution, rooted in traditions, can evolve, inspiring its graduates to lead lives of honor and integrity and contribute meaningfully to a diverse and inclusive society. I loved reading this book!"" -Dagny McKinley, author of Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School & Camp: A History of Art in Nature, The Springs of Steamboat: Healing Waters, Mysterious Caves and Sparkling Soda, and The Adventures of a Girl & Her Dog ""As a proud member of VMI Class of 1983, I really enjoyed this march down memory lane of what it means to be an honorable VMI graduate. Highly recommended!"" -Lynn Seldon, VMI Class of 1983, author of Virginia's Ring, Carolina's Ring, and many other books"

Author Information

Mayling Simpson is a cultural anthropologist who has conducted original research in Ireland, Iran, the Philippines, and Serbia on public health issues and served as a senior technical officer to the World Health Organization. Her previous published works include A Paper Life: Belgrade's Roma in the Underworld of Waste Scavenging and Recycling; Ecological Sanitation; and Mrs. Nickle Pickle, winner of an Aspen Times short story contest. She earned her PhD in anthropology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her BA in biology from Longwood University in Farmville, Va.

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