Penelope

by Rebecca Harrington  274 p.

          This is a novel of a socially awkward and disconnected young woman starting her freshman year at Harvard. Her inability to read in to people's motives, her passivity, and her wanting to follow her mother's instruction to make friends can make some funny happenings. Her mother and her mother's suggestions to Penny on how to make friends, get a boyfriend, and other odd ideas are very funny. The first half of this book was one of the funniest things I've read ever. Then the second half was not particularly funny, but was a good description of a first year in college, especially the confusion and new social situations.

                                  Kel

Pledged : the secret life of sororities

by Alexandra Robbins, 372 p.

Sisterhood.  Tradition.  Loyalty.

Hazing. Debauchery.

'Pledged' follows four Greek system sisters at State U: Sabrina, Caitlin, Vicki, and Amy.   These sisters are followed through the ups and downs of sisterhood through a school year in which they deal with the aftermath of rape,  personal relationships with professors, and house politics.

Robbins goal here is not to air the dirty laundry of the sisters, but to do an in-depth examination of life in these organizations.  At the time of writing,  sororities across the country were receiving some pretty nasty press with stories about hazing-related deaths and sexual assaults within the Greek community, leading many national headquarters to prohibit any reporter from entering a house.  Robbins went undercover to immerse herself in this collegiate lifestyle.

Through a series of interviews, narratives, and investigative reporting, one is able to get a sense of both the highs and lows of being a part of the Greek system.