Today I have something super special for you. Did you read my post yesterday about how freaking much I loved Rites of Passage? This book was so amazing, that I’m so thrilled to have Joy here today with a very special post!
She actually got Drill – the one good boy in Sam’s life, and the one we all will swoon over to share some of his Survival Tips for Girls enrolling the Military Academy!
Drill Sergeant Stamm’s Tips for Surviving Denmark Military Academy
If I’d known commanding the first ever company of female cadets at the DMA was going to come with all this extra paperwork I would have said no. Scratch that—that’s a lie. I would have said yes to this if they’d made me wear a dress all year to give orders. I just don’t like all the extra paperwork.
Over this school year you’ll average 5 hours of sleep a night, 100 push-ups a day, and more yelling than you can stand. You’ll cry. You’ll want to yell back. No doubt you’ll consider quitting. But if you can survive the year, you’ll be among a small, proud group of cadets who will do anything for each other. You survive this year—you’ll be family.
I know we’ll face things this year that we can’t predict, especially with the first five female cadets ever. We’ll deal with those things as they come because there’s no way to plan for them. But for now, here are the things that have gotten me through. Hopefully it’ll help you, too.
- Your company is your family—lean on them: What you’re about to do isn’t easy. You can’t do it on your own. When you feel down or ready to quit, lean on your fellow Alpha Company Worms and let them carry some of the burden. Everyone here has gone through what you’re about to go through. Not one of us did it by himself.
- Never give up: You committed to this program for a reason. Whatever it was, remember it. When you’re struggling on the obstacle course, when you don’t think you can do one more push-up, when you want to sleep through morning formation, remember why you’re here and let that fuel you on. (This is more a life lesson than a DMA lesson—if you say you’ll do something, do it, no matter what.)
- The rules are here for a reason: As Worms, you aren’t allowed to talk or be friends with upper-classmen. You have to walk in the gutters. You can’t talk about yourself in the first person. We all went through this. There are reasons for this. It may not make sense now, but you’ve got rites of passage to go through, just like we all did. You’re part of the DMA now and you’ve got to follow our rules—or you won’t last.
- Be careful who you trust: You’re part of the DMA family now. But just like every other family, we’ve got black sheep. I’d like to think they got weeded out during their Worm year, but in reality I know it’s not true. As the first females here, you’re going to challenge their beliefs about who is strong enough to survive. Some of them aren’t going to like it. Trust your instinct and trust your recruit brothers. They won’t let you down if they know what’s good for them.
- Be strong: I’m not going to lie. This will be the hardest year of your life so far. But you were accepted here because someone at the DMA thought you would be good cadets. Work hard. Show us what you’ve got. Ask for help if you really need it, I’m not saying not to. But your Worm year is about finding ways to be strong, despite everything going on. Show me you can do that, and you’ll earn my respect.
Good luck, Alpha Company females! Let’s show them how it’s done!
Sam McKenna’s never turned down a dare. And she's not going to start with the last one her brother gave her before he died.Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley
Published by HarperCollins on 2014-09-09
Genres: Bullying, Family, Girls & Women, Love & Romance, School & Education, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Social Issues, Young Adult
Pages: 416
Source: Publisher
Goodreads 
So Sam joins the first-ever class of girls at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy. She’s expecting push-ups and long runs, rope climbing and mud-crawling. As a military brat, she can handle an obstacle course just as well as the boys. She's even expecting the hostility she gets from some of the cadets who don’t think girls belong there. What she’s not expecting is her fiery attraction to her drill sergeant. But dating is strictly forbidden and Sam won't risk her future, or the dare, on something so petty...no matter how much she wants him.
As Sam struggles to prove herself, she discovers that some of the boys don’t just want her gone—they will stop at nothing to drive her out. When their petty threats turn to brutal hazing, bleeding into every corner of her life, she realizes they are not acting alone. A decades-old secret society is alive and active… and determined to force her out.
At any cost.
Now time's running short. Sam must decide who she can trust...and choosing the wrong person could have deadly consequences
Giveaway:
Open Interantional – One Pre-Order of Rites of Passage and one package of Swag including Dog Tags, Bookmarks and more! Entries via the Rafflecopter below!
SO Ladies! Are YOU Prepared? I guess I am not… even though I would very much meet this one swoon worthy hot Drill !
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I totally wouldn’t go to a military academy – I’d get kicked out anyway! What scares me is the fact that you can’t question anything, just follow orders 🙂
thank you 🙂
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I probably wouldn’t join? Ik a total bookwork and although I somewhat like school and learning, I need my full 8 hours, one or two more is welcomed. I would probably do more reading and resisting the status quo through reading and sleeping in. I would be the annoying reading rebel of the group so, no, it couldn’t happen.
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Military things really thrilled me. I love reading about them but I don’t think I would be able to join. I’m terrible at following orders and I wouldn’t be capable of enduring all the physical part. It scares me that I wouldn’t be strong enough..
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I would if ii was younger in the Army my son is enlisted know.
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DRILL. How I heart Drill to pieces. I loved these survival tips. <3
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OMG. There is not a picture of Charlie Hunnam associated with this post! *DIES* I LOVE HIM!!!! And he would make an amazing Drill for sure. *dreamy sigh* I willingly admit I would not be able to hack it at the DMA. I just wouldn’t. I’m not a morning person or what one might call a fan of physical exercise. Fail. I might be motivated if Charlie were there yelling at me though. Shirtless. 😉
This is one of my favorite reads of the year. LOVE!
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ooooh…. I like the sound of this book!!! thanks for sharing!
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I contemplated Military College when I graduated from high school but I decided it wasn’t for me. Probably it was the preponderance of rules in general that turned me off the idea.
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I’m soo excited to read this book! It’s sounds really amazing!
TBH, I don’t think I would ever want to go to military school. School abroad – yes, internat – why not? But Military school, yeah, not so much. Everything sounds just so scary, and I think I wouldn’t like any of the rules there, or the workout.
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Amazing survival tips! Also a very interesting Drill, cant say thats how I pictured him, but it’ll do! I don’t think I’d go to military school, I am definitely not cut out for it!
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I don’t think I’d ever go to a military school of any kind. I love the order and respect and so on but I don’t like at all physical activities, so I guess that would be the main problem!
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HAHA I love this post! I fear the fourth rule…Trusting someone comes easy to me, but trusting them a second time is impossible.
I can’t believe I haven’t read this yet! I have this in my kindle, but haven’t opened the damn thing. HAHA I should get started. Thanks for sharing!
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Military school would have killed me, lol! I am not physically strong, at all! I am too quirky and forgetful. I would never survive all these rules.
Great post, thanks for the giveaway!
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I don’t honestly think I would be well-suited to life in a military academy. And rule #3 would drive me up the wall.
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I would never join a military school, I can’t take orders, and would always be in trouble. Thanks for having the giveaway.
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I don’t think I would be able to handle military school. It would definitely be too much for me.
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I will never join a military school. Why? Well, I can’t do a single pushup. 😛
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I wouldn’t join a military school!
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Oh, gosh. I wouldn’t join military school if you paid me! Two of my friends are in my school’s ROTC program, though, and they really like it. I guess it just depends on each person’s personality.
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I don’t think military school would be perfect choice for me. 😀 I hate any kind of rules (rebel in heart!), especially strict ones that go with military.
Thanks for a giveaway! Super excited for this book to come out! 🙂
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I don’t think I’ll join a military school and even if I do I am pretty sure I’ll try to run away from there as I don’t like doing rigorous (note: push-ups) exercise and I love my sleep. 🙂
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I think I would join a military school, though I’m not sure I would get past the ‘You can’t talk about yourself in the first person’ rule, I’d probably say something like -I’m sorry- and BAM! I’d get kicked out 🙁
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