Brotherhood
When West Point Rugby Went to War
Martin Pengelly author H R McMaster editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:David R. Godine Publisher Inc
Published:14th Dec '23
Should be back in stock very soon
Radio tour schedule
10/31:
(Format: General Interest Radio) 6:05p-6:15p ET—WHO Radio (Des Moines, IA). Live interview on the “Simon Conway” show, hosted by Simon Conway.
(Format: Sports Radio) 4:00p-4:20p ET—Sports Byline USA (San Francisco, CA—SYNDICATED). Taped interview on the “Sports Byline USA” show, hosted by Ron Barr.
(Format: Sports Radio) 1:40p-1:55p ET—Sports Byline USA (San Francisco, CA—SYNDICATED). Live interview on the “Titillating Sports” show, hosted by Rick Tittle.
11/1:
(Format: General Interest Radio) 5:05p-5:15p ET—WSYR Radio (Syracuse, NY). Live interview on the “Bob Lonsberry” show, hosted by Bob Lonsberry.
(Format: Sports Radio) Noon-12:15p ET—WORL FM 94.9 (Orlando, FL). Taped interview for “Inside the Game”, hosted by Pat Williams.
(Format: General Interest Radio) 9:05a-9:15a ET—WHAM Radio (Rochester, NY). Live interview on the “Bob Lonsberry” show, hosted by Bob Lonsberry.
(Format: General Interest Radio) 8:05a-8:30a ET—WKXL AM & FM (Concord, NH—BOSTON, MA). Taped interview for the “Cail and Company” show, hosted by Dan Feltes and Ken Cail.
(Format: General Interest Radio) 7:35a-7:45a ET—WKNY-AM (Kingston, NY—NEW YORK, NY). Live interview on “The WKNY AM Drive Sports Show”, hosted by Warren Lawrence and Chris Burns.
11/2:
(Format: Sports Radio) 3:05p-3:20p ET—590 the Fan (St. Louis, MO). Live interview on the “High Noon” show, hosted by Nate Lucas.
(Format: Sports Podcast) 1:30p-1:45p ET—Le Batard & Friends Network (PODCAST). Taped interview on the “Stupodity” podcast, hosted by Jon “Stugotz” Weiner.
11/9:
(Format: Sports Radio) 3:30p-3:45p ET—Sports Byline USA / Sirius XM Satellite Radio (San Bernardino, CA—SYNDICATED). Taped interview for the “Sports Overnight America” show, hosted by Fred Wallin.
“We’re better off for having these men among us.”—Wall Street Journal
Before 9/11, the rugby team at West Point learned to bond on a sports field. This is what happened when those 15 young men became leaders in war.
Filled with drama, tragedy, and personal transformations, this is the story of a unique brotherhood. It is a story of American rugby and a story of the U. S. Army created through intimate portraits of men shaped by West Point’s motto: “Duty, Honor, Country.”
Some of the players deployed to Afganistan and Iraq, some to Europe. Some became infantry, others became fliers. Some saw action, some did not. One gave his life on a street in Baghdad when his convoy was hit with an IED. Two died away from the battlefield but no less tragically.
Journalist Martin Pengelly, a former rugby player himself, was given extraordinary access to tell this story, a story of a brutal sport and even more brutal warfare.
Praise for Brotherhood
“Weaves together multiple in-depth biographies to form a highly readable account of who these men were, where they came from, how they played the game and how they fought the longest war in U.S. military history….We’re better off for having these men among us.”
—Wall Street Journal
“A mammoth of a journalistic, sporting, historical and emotional work … the product of a writer with a tangible respect for the privilege of the story he is telling”
—The Rugby Journal
“Brotherhood is a mad, perfect book. Pengelly’s audacious act combining biography, war reportage and sports writing is like nothing I’ve read before. The ’02 West Point ruggers are painted in beautiful relief and their combat episodes are brilliantly rendered. Sports book? War book? I’m not sure, but I’m certain you must read it.”
—Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead: A Marine's Chronicle of the Gulf War and Other Battles
“An intimate portrait . . . Drawing on his own love of rugby, personal reminiscences from the [West Point] cadets, and in-depth reportage, Pengelly provides a vivid snapshot of his subjects and their experiences of war, combined with an elegiac meditation on the sport. It’s a poignant account.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A memorable and moving book, a significant contribution to the literature of the American military after 9/11.”
—Thomas E. Ricks, author of Waging a Good War: A Military History of the Civil Rights Movement, 1954–1968
“Brotherhood breaks the heart with its dramatic story of a fraternity of teammates broken by war.”
—David Abrams, author of Fobbit
“In rugby, we often talk of ‘going into battle’ with your team. It's just a game, of course, but in Brotherhood, sport, war, and friendship leap from the pages as players really do become warriors—and heroes.”
—Dan Lyle, U.S. Rugby Hall of Famer and NBC Sports analyst
“In a time when men struggle to find their place in society—a time of disheartening news on education, relationships, and lifespan itself—Martin Pengelly brings a rare story of encouragement. The young men of Brotherhood remind us of the best in men: courage, sacrifice, even nobility.”
—Matthew Teague, co-author of The Steal: The Attempt to Overturn the 2020 Election and the People Who Stopped It
“Brotherhood captures men working through shared hardships, the lessons learned, and bonds forged through that journey. Ultimately, the book shares the stories of young men and their families who were willing to give everything for our country—and some who did.”
—Matthew Sherman, West Point Men’s Rugby Coach
ISBN: 9781567927115
Dimensions: 228mm x 152mm x 25mm
Weight: unknown
300 pages