Be My Sorority Sister-Under Pressure

Rating:
Summary: Good Read...some things were just too far fetched
Review: This was an ok book...but towards the end things seemed to be too far fetched. It started to read like a soap opera. It is too hard to generalize the "pledging" process. Everyone's experience to different.

Rating:
Summary: "Sorority" is solid
Review: To be honest, sororities have never appealed to me -- it seemed like an elite clique arrangement with too many regulations. So it was a bit of a surprise to see a totally different perspective in "Be My Sorority Sister: Under Pressure," a book that takes a look at the struggles and friendships of a well-known sorority.

Eva Perkins's mother and sister both were in Beta Gamma Psi Sorority, so when Eva enters Edwin Carver University, she's desperate to enter the mostly African-American sorority. After struggling in pre-pledging activites, Eva finds herself on line to become one of the girls -- but soon finds that the sorority can be a lot tougher than she thought.

The "older sisters" are rough to the point of being abusive on Eva and the other new girls, and there is internal strife among the older girls. One ex-pledgee even writes a scathing tell-all article. But the worst thing happens when a girl falls from a rooftop during a pledge ritual, and abrasive Connie lies to the police about what happened. But no one knows how far the lie will go -- or how it will threaten the existance of their sorority.

Dorrie Williams-Wheeler crafts an enjoyable light read for teens, maybe giving them something to look forward to in their college years. Not to mention a warning -- Williams-Wheeler doesn't skimp on the abusive hazing rituals, which aren't limited to physical abuse. She doesn't dip into paddling (despite the cover) and similar black'n'blue abuses, but she does mention them. But she also takes care to mention the friendships and bonding that come from the sorority's teamwork.

Her writing style is a bit bare and un-descriptive for my taste, but it moves along at a brisk clip. And the dialogue-heavy writing seems like listening in on the girls at the sorority; there are some spelling and grammatical errors, but nothing too major. She also has a talent for making the feel of the book grow tenser and more frightening -- the main flaw is that the final two chapters feel VERY rushed, packing too much into too few pages. Ms. Williams-Wheeler should have stretched it out for several more chapters.

Eva is an unusual lead character -- rather than making her a goody-two-shoes, Williams-Wheeler gives her flaws and internal conflict about the goings-on at the sorority. The supporting girls are pretty well-done, with individual quirks and flaws. And the older girls range from the nasty Connie to the likable Cassidy.

Even those who haven't yet tackled the subject of sororities might be interested in "Be My Sorority Sister: Under Pressure." It might give you a look at what to look forward to -- and avoid -- on a sorority.