Grateful Nation

"In this extremely well-written book, Ellen Moore sensitively and movingly portrays the experience of veterans and their challenges in higher education (and beyond) with the help of veterans' own powerful reflections on their experiences. Documenting the role of academic institutions and the U.S. military in the production of a militarized common sense, as well as broader attitudes about war and the military, she illustrates the subtle and generally little-noticed militarization of colleges and universities in an era of perpetual post-9/11 warfare." - David Vine, author of Base Nation: How U.S. Military Bases Abroad Harm America and the World

"Grateful Nation provides a deeply informed and fine-grained ethnographic account of the educational challenges facing veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Ellen Moore's exemplary work will require scholars, administrators, and policymakers to rethink their assumptions about veterans' education and the reasons why so many student veterans struggle in the classroom. With its clear and compelling prose, this book will encourage dialogue in the classroom and improve the campus climate for veterans." - Roberto J. González, author of Militarizing Culture: Essays on the Warfare State

"Reflexively mythologizing veterans allows Americans to avert their gaze from wars fought in their name. In this subtle and sophisticated book, Ellen Moore challenges readers to take the experience of our veterans seriously. Doing so may provide a first step toward finding an antidote to militarism.” - Andrew J. Bacevich, Professor Emeritus of International Relations and History, Boston University

"Through extensive work with hundreds of veterans and a detailed investigation into veterans in college, Ellen Moore has powerfully illuminated and analyzed the ways the military has strategically positioned itself in US society. She has done something unique and powerful in the scholarship of war and peace—a work that should be broadly disseminated and debated." - Rick Ayers, Huffington Post

“Grateful Nation raises important insights as to what the veterans’ presence on campus might mean. And, much like the paratrooper’s rucksack, there is a lot in Grateful Nation to unpack.” - Robert G. Young, Military Review

"An insightful new book. Grateful Nation will contribute to both future research and practice among those who study and work on questions related to veterans and to higher education." - Alair MacLean, Social Forces

"[Moore] has done a remarkable job of highlighting those experiences and attitudes with which we who work with veterans every day are very famil­iar." - Marshall W. Thomas, Academe

"Due to its wide-ranging theoretical grounding and implications, Grateful Nation is a strong contribution for those interested in a variety of topics including education, militarism, and veteran experiences. This is an excellent book for those who work with student veterans and want to engage in depth with the complexity of this student population." - Michelle Sandhoff, American Journal of Sociology

"This is an excellent book for those interested in the ethnographic approach in general and/or the student veteran experience." - William Zywiak, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute

"Insightful...." - Steve Early, Against the Current