Cadets to Captains: Book Club Discussion Guide

Steel and Honor, Book One | Tom O'Connor

Friendship begins before the war. Duty soon asks difficult questions.

Use this guide after reading Cadets to Captains: 1848-1860. Discuss freely, and support your answers with passages.

Which character stayed with you after the final page? What made that character memorable?

How does West Point shape the characters' understanding of honor?
Where do friendship and military duty support each other? Where do they create tension?
How does Nathaniel's experience influence Andrew's expectations? Where does Andrew develop his own judgment?
What does James Tanner reveal about loyalty to friends, family, and place?
How do the characters' letters connect military service with life at home?
What do Clara and Eleanor contribute to your understanding of the officers?
How does the Crimean observer mission change Nathaniel and James's understanding of military service?
Which details about engineering, communication, or transportation most affected your reading?
How does knowledge of the coming Civil War influence your response to events before 1861?
Which passage best captures the meaning of the title? Read it aloud and explain your choice.
What question would you ask Tom about his research or a character's choices?
What do you want to follow into the next book?

Choose a short passage about friendship, duty, or family. Explain how it changed your understanding of a character.

Explore the Steel and Honor series at Tom's website.

Look up a soldier or family name in the Muster Roll App.

Use records to begin a question. A name alone cannot establish a complete service history.