Rating: 
Summary: Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Review: Do you follow your heart, or do you trail down the path that others attempt to pave for you? "Walking the Line" takes you into the mind of Charisma, a young college students, as she deals with the strife that results from the choices she make. Ms. Hughes also delves into the minds of sorority sisters and unveils their thoughts and reasoning as to whom will be their future sorors. I highly recommend this novel, especially to young adults who are about to enter their freshman year of college. Keep writing Ms. Hughes! I anxiously await your next novel!
Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down!!
Review: I bought the book on Saturday and read the whole thing on Sunday! I couldn't stop reading about the many directions in which Charis was being pulled! I had to find out what she would decide! The ending made me want to yell "You go, girl!" Fantastic!
Rating: 
Summary: A Good Read
Review: I enjoyed reading Althea Christina Hughes book about
sorority life. I am a college graduate but as a commuter and later as a night time student the sorority was a foreign concept. Mrs. Hughes has opened a closed door on a interesting and unexamined society.
Rating:
Summary: It's More than Walking the Line.....
Review: I was a little skeptical about reading another book about the sorority experience, because in the past, the books I read didn't appear to target an audience beyond 18-24 years of age. So I was pleasantly surprised that Walking The Line by Althea Hughes was an engrossing and compelling page turner which I finished in one sitting and it was a really good story. Hughes provides a realistic and accurate portrayal of the sorority experience but more importantly it could have been about any experience. After close examination of the main character, Charisma(aka Charis) Alexander she is literally walking a very fine line between following her dreams and pleasing herself or following the steps of others and pleasing them.Charis is forced to make many decisions through her coming of age process...one of the most crucial decisions at the moment is whether or not she will jeopardize her 4.0 GPA by pledging her senior year of college. If it were left to Charis she would postpone pledging any sorority forever...afterall what's the big deal? Well, to Charis mother it's a very big deal. Afterall, the women in Charis family are all Rho Kappa Delta sorors with a family legacy and history that "pressures" all female relatives to become RKD sister. Kyra , president of RKD, knows of Charis' family legacy and coerces Charis into pledging. What ensues is a rollercoaster pledging experience with a cast of characters who will have you LOL, shaking your head, screaming out loud and wanting to give a few folks a breakdown. On a serious note, Hughes writing/message does more than entertain. Hughes provides a three-dimensional view of Charis so that we see her making decisions regarding her future career, her trifling boyfriend, negotiating peace among her divorced parents and really coming to self-realization about who is Charis. Also the secondary characters represented duality. Kyra and Briana are polar opposites, as were Randall and Sean, and Charis's parents William and Anna. But Charis seem to always be in the middle of all of these relationships. In the end, Charis' realizes that she must follow her own moral code, she must follow her heart and create her own path through life. Walking the Line is far more than initiation, pledging and hazing it's about growing up and making your own decisions. Thanks Ms. Hughes for a wonderful and insightful debut novel.
I look forward to more creatively crafted and refreshing storylines from you in the future.
Rating:
Summary: It's More than Walking the Line.....
Review: I was a little skeptical about reading another book about the sorority experience, because in the past, the books I read didn't appear to target an audience beyond 18-24 years of age. So I was pleasantly surprised that Walking The Line by Althea Hughes was an engrossing and compelling page turner which I finished in one sitting and it was a really good story. Hughes provides a realistic and accurate portrayal of the sorority experience but more importantly it could have been about any experience. After close examination of the main character, Charisma(aka Charis) Alexander she is literally walking a very fine line between following her dreams and pleasing herself or following the steps of others and pleasing them. Charis is forced to make many decisions through her coming of age process...one of the most crucial decisions at the moment is whether or not she will jeopardize her 4.0 GPA by pledging her senior year of college. If it were left to Charis she would postpone pledging any sorority forever...afterall what's the big deal? Well, to Charis mother it's a very big deal. Afterall, the women in Charis family are all Rho Kappa Delta sorors with a family legacy and history that "pressures" all female relatives to become RKD sister. Kyra , president of RKD, knows of Charis' family legacy and coerces Charis into pledging. What ensues is a rollercoaster pledging experience with a cast of characters who will have you LOL, shaking your head, screaming out loud and wanting to give a few folks a breakdown. On a serious note, Hughes writing/message does more than entertain. Hughes provides a three-dimensional view of Charis so that we see her making decisions regarding her future career, her trifling boyfriend, negotiating peace among her divorced parents and really coming to self-realization about who is Charis. Also the secondary characters represented duality. Kyra and Briana are polar opposites, as were Randall and Sean, and Charis's parents William and Anna. But Charis seem to always be in the middle of all of these relationships. In the end, Charis' realizes that she must follow her own moral code, she must follow her heart and create her own path through life. Walking the Line is far more than initiation, pledging and hazing it's about growing up and making your own decisions. Thanks Ms. Hughes for a wonderful and insightful debut novel.
I look forward to more creatively crafted and refreshing storylines from you in the future.
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: I wish they had a 4.5 rating because in my opinion this book was exactly that. It took me all of one day to read; this page turner! During the first chapter my thoughts were that this book was simplistic and for young adults. As I continued to read I realized that many questions about life choices were revealed. Charis, a senior in college, has many decisions to make-do I pledge the sorority that my great-grandmother founded; do I go to law school as expected; do I move to New York or Washington as my friends wish; do I forgive and see this triflin' man that broke my heart again, do I squeal on my sosority sisters. It was almost too much for one person to bear. Life choices, how do we choose? Am I making the correct decision? Ms. Hughes was able to draw the reader into Charis' world and make this reader reflect back to my college days, my pledge process and the after affects. I found myself asking "why did I pledge?" "What were my motivations, expectations?" This book also touched on some of the class issues within the AA community. Also, the portrayal of the secondary characters, parents, relatives, friends and other students, was great. I recommend this book to current college students, college-bound students and us ole' school folks who have been there. Good work Ms. Hughes!
Rating:
Summary: Thought Provoking
Review: I wish they had a 4.5 rating because in my opinion this book was exactly that. It took me all of one day to read; this page turner! During the first chapter my thoughts were that this book was simplistic and for young adults. As I continued to read I realized that many questions about life choices were revealed. Charis, a senior in college, has many decisions to make-do I pledge the sorority that my great-grandmother founded; do I go to law school as expected; do I move to New York or Washington as my friends wish; do I forgive and see this triflin' man that broke my heart again, do I squeal on my sosority sisters. It was almost too much for one person to bear. Life choices, how do we choose? Am I making the correct decision? Ms. Hughes was able to draw the reader into Charis' world and make this reader reflect back to my college days, my pledge process and the after affects. I found myself asking "why did I pledge?" "What were my motivations, expectations?" This book also touched on some of the class issues within the AA community. Also, the portrayal of the secondary characters, parents, relatives, friends and other students, was great. I recommend this book to current college students, college-bound students and us ole' school folks who have been there. Good work Ms. Hughes!
Rating:
Summary: All You've Ever Wanted to Know about Sorority Pledging
Review: If you've ever wondered what it's really like to pledge a sorority, read Walking the Line. This book provides explicit details on pledging, hazing, initiation and rejection as well as the aftermath of it all. You'll get the inside story of walking the [pledging] line as well as other lines that the main characters are forced to walk. We all have lines to walk in our lives. I enjoyed the way the author chose the sorority-pledging process to demonstrate how the main character walked that particular path. In sum, Walking the Line is an insightful, light, quick, enjoyable read.
Rating:
Summary: Engaging and Insightful
Review: In "Walking the Line", Hughes explores the attractions of sororities and the motivations behind the unabated determination of the young women seeking to belong to a particularly coveted sorority. The influence of family and friends, the quest for status, power, prestige, and acceptance play no minor roles in their motivations for pledging. Examined also is the illegal, yet continued, practice of hazing purported to build sisterhood and comaraderie even as it calls into question group trust and the intentions of those who haze pledgees. "Walking the Line" marks Hughes' debut into the world of published fiction. College students will likely identify with the lead character's escapades and her introspective assessment of the really important things in her life as she completes her senior year of college. The book may also influence potential candidates for sororities and fraternities to evaluate more seriously their reasons for pledging, and to weigh in counterbalance the less noble characteristics to the merits of some Greek organizations. Against the backdrop of academics, social and personal relationships, and the dynamics of campus life, "Walking the Line" captures the liveliness of the college environment and the subtle nuances that define diverse interactions of students who hold opposing views of the benefits, purpose, and even relevance of pledging. The book sends an unnobtrusively powerful message. Add "Walking the Line" to your "must read" list!
Rating:
Summary: Correction to Mr. Kurtz
Review: Many thanks for your enticing review. I have just ordered this book. However, I would like to add a correction. You wrote Celilius Calvert...it is actually Cecilius Calvert..the Lord Baltimore for whom my home county of Cecil County, Maryland is named. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to correct this. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of MY copy. I have heard wonderful things about this book.
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