Area Bird: Duty Doesn't Always Follow Rules

Gray Girl, II

By: Susan I. Spieth

Narrated by: Melody Craven

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

They failed to drive her out of the military academy, but one in three women are still leaving West Point. Jan Wishart fights for survival in her second year at the formerly all male citadel, where the women cadets continue to endure body shaming, sexism, and contempt from the higher ups. That's along with the usual physical and mental rigors of the military academy.

When one of her friends shows signs of abuse and later commits suicide, Jan's coming of age year gets even more complicated. The culture of hazing and harassment must be addressed, but it's almost impossible in a closed academy environment. Sometimes the best way to call attention to an issue is to leak it the press.

In order to fulfill her duty, Jan must break with tradition and the longstanding culture of the United States Military Academy. Yet not everything is as it seems. Once again Jan's worldview is about to be upended by the secrets of West Point.

2015 Kindle book award semi-finalist!

©2015 Susan I. Spieth (P)2019 Susan I Spieth

Excellent again

This is the second book in a series, although the story stands well on its own. I liked the first book very much because it was a good story wrapped in an authentic look at life behind the scenes at West Point in the early days of coeducation. By contrast, this book is lighter on the USMA trivia and much more substantial with the story itself. Spieth again finds a way to deliver a final twist, only this time even more masterfully, the kind of twist you don't even know you're looking for and then kick yourself for not seeing sooner. Well done and well worth a listen.

Love the detail!!

From the beginning of the story, the visual details begin to pull the reader in to find out more. The details of each changing scene are captivating. I’d find myself thinking and imagining as Susan takes the reader for a ride through West Point from the eyes of a female cadet. The view is eye opening. This is what it feels like to be completely outnumbered and still have to be a team player to graduate. This is an easy and captivating read with some or no real military experience. The best part, is how the story ends. WHAT A FINISH!!

Captivating!

Having read all 4 of the author's books in this series, I now find myself listening to the audio versions. The narrator does a superb job reflecting each character distinctly. Traditionally, the second year at West Point can be just as difficult as the first (plebe) year, as the cadets learn to hone their leadership skills while keeping up with challenging academic and military requirements. The author manages to capture both of these elements very well while also providing a captivating story with a surprising and fantastic ending! Well done, Susan Spieth!

Not as good as the first one.

Area Bird was the second book in the Gray Girl series. This series is the story of one of the first female Cadets at West Point. Where as the first book had a purpose this one really could not find one. There were several starters nothing really caught on. It really did not have and ending. Hopefully this will be remedied in the next book. I did enjoy the book. Narration was superb, none of the characters sounded the same.