Lisa Cordeiro
Author of
Parris Island: A Woman's Memoir of Marine Corps Boot Camp
Published in March, 2004, by Whiskey Creek Press
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Reviews
"The author's descriptions of Parris Island's training of women recuits are gritty, gripping, and beautifully written... I've never read a better account of the transformation worked by military training. I will be eager to read the author's forthcoming book about her experiences as a Marine following boot camp. I'll be especially interested in learning how her relationships with her civilian friends were altered by the changes in Lisa herself."
Nina Osier, Reviewer eBook Reviews Weekly
Written with candor, Parris Island takes readers to one of the most difficult military training grounds in the world. The author chronicles her thirteen-week training regiment, showing readers the slow and painful process of tearing down recruits to rebuild them into a unit comprised of the "the few and the proud".
Nineteen-year-old college student Lisa Cordeiro wanted a new direction to her life. She joined the Marines and found a whole new life. She left her family and friends and traveled to Parris Island in South Carolina for boot camp. Once there, she had to learn if she has what it takes to become a member of the elite group of women who call themselves Marines.
Readers will follow Lisa's story from the very beginning as she contemplates joining this branch of the Armed Forces. Her conversational style of writing allows the reader to feel the conflicting emotions she experiences. Yes, there is the excitement of this adventure, but also present is the fear of the unknown.
Lisa Cordeiro writes with honesty, humility and a touch of humor. Faithfully recounting her training session, readers will see the makings of a Marine from the inside out. There is a definite process of tearing down before building up. Self-esteem and self-respect are discarded. So are modesty, pride and basically any emotion. Fear becomes the enemy that the drill instructors strive to eliminate from these women. Interestingly, the recruits are taught to defend the Constitution, although those rights don't seem to apply to them. They are degraded, humiliated and brought to their knees. Yet, out of the ashes arises a new person, filled with power, prestige and a purpose. That person is a United States Marine.
Herewith is the essence of the book. Although this reviewer was very interested in the behind-the-scenes training at Parris Island, what was even more amazing was the effect on the author. She shows the changes that occurred in her life through, not only a journal account, but with the addition of flashbacks and letters from her family and friends. It becomes very clear that the woman who walked into that training ground slowly changed into another person.
She has also written a second book titled, In the Fleet, which is about her experiences in the Marines after boot camp. (Lisa Cordeiro's note: This book is still in progress)
Parris Island is a powerful, poignant, and personal look at how one woman earned the right to be called a Marine.
Reviewed by Joyce Handzo, Reviewer
In the Library Reviews
Parris Island
In Lisa Cordeiro's memoir Parris Island, the reader undergoes the dread and pride of completing the Marine Corps 13-week grueling boot camp.
In her second year of college, undecided and partying every night, Lisa radically changes her life by signing up for the Marine Corp. In Parris Island, the reader experiences the mortification and agony of boot camp vicariously through Lisa. Lisa Cordeiro keenly describes the breaking down and molding process that creates a unified whole out of 32 motley individuals.
Parris Island is a study in the processes of remolding a person to discover that with the proper mental motivation you can do anything. At Parris Island, there is no "I can't." For every obstacle surmounted the recruits' find within themselves the ability to face their fears and weaknesses with an inner strength and determination previously unknown.
Lisa Cordeiro eloquently expresses the fierce desire to successfully complete boot camp while in the midst of confronting doubts, worries, and anxieties about surviving. Boot Camp may be 13 weeks of "hell," but it is 13 weeks that changes a person's life and imbues it with confidence and strength.
Parris Island is a fast paced, attention-grabbing memoir. Not only could I not put it down, but I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about joining the military. I truly believe in being forewarned. I cannot wait until Lisa Cordeiro publishes another book.
Reviewed by: Dena
http://fallenangelreviews.com/June2004/Dena-ParrisIsland.htm
...Europe From a Backpack is a bit like the Travelers' Tales books, except that all the writers in the Backpack series are (so far) unknown. A few of the writers rise to the top of this collection, notably Lisa Cordeiro and Mike Riley. Cordeiro's two essays about living in Europe after a hitch in the Marines left me wanting to know more about her adventures. She writes as if telling a story, not just relating her experiences...
Amazon.com reviewer
Read the full review at http://www.amazon.com
Interviews
"This Woman's Marines"
Watertown Tab, Friday, March 19, 2004
"Through Boot Camp on Determination and Will"
The Daily News Tribune, Monday, March 22, 2004
