Brigid Stearns is preparing to introduce What Was the Point?, an upcoming interconnected collection of stories exploring military life, personal identity, and institutional expectations. Set primarily at the United States Military Academy at West Point between 1977 and 1981, the collection examines cadets navigating demanding traditions and changing social attitudes.
Through multiple perspectives, the stories address racism, homophobia, ethnic prejudice, bullying, family trauma, and religious faith. The characters encounter circumstances in which institutional ideals sometimes conflict with personal experiences and individual convictions.
The collection also explores patriotism, military service, leadership, and the moral questions surrounding war. Historical events and cultural references establish the period while connecting individual experiences with broader social and political changes.
Friendship, family history, personal resilience, and compassion also feature throughout the narratives. Recurring ideas of belonging, confinement, and freedom connect the stories while highlighting the varied experiences of individuals within a demanding institution.
What Was the Point? will invite readers to reflect on duty, honor, and country. Its narratives consider how individuals respond when established traditions challenge personal values and how integrity influences decisions within institutional settings.
About the Author
Brigid Stearns was born in 1961 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and developed an early interest in West Point through a family connection to soccer. After Title IX passed in 1972, Stearns pursued the goal of attending the academy and entered West Point in 1980 following service in the Army Reserve.
Stearns left the academy in 1982 after the required service obligation expired. Stearns subsequently taught ninth-grade English at Northwestern Regional High School in Winsted, Connecticut, until retiring in 2020.
Pre-Launch Availability
What Was the Point? will be available on Amazon upon its release.
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