Fraternity
An Inside Look at a Year of College Boys Becoming Men
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3.5 • 11 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
* A Real Simple Best Book of 2019: "An essential read for parents and students." *
The New York Times bestselling author of Pledged is back with an unprecedented fly-on-the-wall look inside fraternity houses from current brothers’ perspectives—and a fresh, riveting must-read about what it’s like to be a college guy today.
Two real-life stories. One stunning twist. Meet Jake, a studious freshman weighing how far to go to find a brotherhood that will introduce him to lifelong friends and help conquer his social awkwardness; and Oliver, a hardworking chapter president trying to keep his misunderstood fraternity out of trouble despite multiple run-ins with the police.
Their year-in-the-life stories help explain why students are joining fraternities in record numbers despite scandalous headlines. To find out what it’s like to be a fraternity brother in the twenty-first century, Robbins contacted hundreds of brothers whose chapters don’t make headlines—and who suggested that many fraternities can be healthy safe spaces for men.
Fraternity is more than just a page-turning, character-driven read. It’s a vital book about the transition from boyhood to manhood; it brilliantly weaves psychology, current events, neuroscience, and interviews to explore the state of masculinity today, and what that means for students and their parents. It’s a different kind of story about college boys, a story in which they candidly discuss sex, friendship, social media, drinking, peer pressure, gender roles, and even porn. And it’s a book about boys at a vulnerable age, living on their own for perhaps the first time. Boys who, in a climate that can stigmatize them merely for being male, don’t necessarily want to navigate the complicated, coming-of-age journey to manhood alone.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In a companion to her book on sororities, Pledged, Robbins follows two boys through a year in their fraternities in this sympathetic portrait of "Greek" life. Though the media often cover the darker aspects of fraternities hazing, sexual assault, prejudice Robbins argues that, at their best, fraternities provide companionship, camaraderie, and positive role models. Robbins alternates between following Jake, a "sweet, earnest," socially awkward kid who pledges a stereotypically masculine fraternity, and Oliver, the "quirky, introverted," half Native American sophomore president of a fraternity more focused on camaraderie than partying. The contrast between their respective experiences and the history of Greek-life traditions (such as the secrecy surrounding rituals) form the core of the book. In addition to the young men's experiences, sections within chapters deal with such topics as the history of fraternities in the U.S., the psychology of belonging, and why members of fraternities are more likely than other college students to abuse alcohol and assault women. Though some of Robbins's assertions are more speculative than supported ("It's also possible that fraternity rates of sexual assault are higher than non-Greek rates partly because of access and opportunity"), the narrative sections are skillfully paced. This engaging behind-the-scenes account of fraternities, their traditions, and how they influence (a certain strain of) American men will interest college-bound students, their parents, and readers contemplating American culture.
