Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities

published	July 2005 by Hyperion
binding	Paperback
isbn	0786888598 (isbn13: 9780786888597)
pages	384
description	Now in paperback, the New York Times bestseller-with over 91,000 copies in print-that takes you behind closed doors to see what really goes on in Amer...more [close] Now in paperback, the New York Times bestseller-with over 91,000 copies in print-that takes you behind closed doors to see what really goes on in America's sororities ver wonder what sorority life is really like? In Pledged, bestselling author Alexandra Robbins goes undercover to expose the dark side of collegiate sisterhood-the psychological abuse, hazing rituals, and widespread body image disorders-while at the same time introducing us to many of the intelligent, successful women within its ranks. The result is a compelling sociological exploration of the powerful influence that these organizations wield over young women today. With its fly-on-the-wall voyeurism and remarkable insight, Pledged paints a sharp-eyed portrait of the intriguing and paradoxical world of modern-day sororities. [close]
date added	02-23-07 edit book

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Fraternities and Sororities

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Katie rated it:

06/17/08

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: College students, administrators, parents, faculty

An interesting investigative report on life in historically white sororities in the 2000's South. Having been denied access to sororities by their national offices, in the wake of MTV's expose, the young (thin, pretty) Robbins accompanied four young women undercover through for one academic year, at the risk of their being disaffiliated. She does not disclose the location or name of the university (although it is in a warm climate) or the sororities. She says that she deliberately chose ordi...more An interesting investigative report on life in historically white sororities in the 2000's South. Having been denied access to sororities by their national offices, in the wake of MTV's expose, the young (thin, pretty) Robbins accompanied four young women undercover through for one academic year, at the risk of their being disaffiliated. She does not disclose the location or name of the university (although it is in a warm climate) or the sororities. She says that she deliberately chose ordinary sororities with good reputations and ordinary members to represent them.

The result is revealing. It confirms my own decision not to join a sorority back in the '80s, if only because the students seem to spend most of their time drinking, buying clothes, finding dates, having sex, arguing, and drinking. I was not surprised that selection, ranking, and overall valuing of members is based partly on appearance, but was surprised that family income is so blatantly important.

The book moves along at a fairly good clip, sometimes dragging a little through accounts of endless drunken parties and dances. More interesting are the times the sisters spend together NOT drinking, or not mostly drinking, but talking while they do each other's hair, comforting each other over a break-up or a failure, celebrating a success, complaining or planning.

The most interesting parts of the book are the ancillary interviews with alumnae from chapters at other colleges, the chapter on historically black sororities (which contains a few brief paragraphs on Hispanic sororities), and the bits about independent groups such as coed frats. Robbins does an excellent job of exposing the racism in the women's Greek system in the South, although she could write more about the North and West.

The most valuable part of the book is the final chapter, in which Robbins recommends ways to improve historically white sorority life. For example, she strongly suggests that sororities eliminate rush (the whirlwind ritual in which hopefuls visit all the chapters for a few mintues at a time, rather like speed dating) in favor of a more sensible visiting and application process. She points out that the white organizations are basically social groups, not service groups, and questions why they merit special support from colleges: Colleges are within their rights to make demands on them and to revoke their support if demands are not met. Robbins also notes that white sororities are not really women's groups as long as most of their activities are centered around dating, fraternity mixers, and balls--that is, around men. She answers all her criticisms with ideas for change.

Having described a number of frightening instances of physical, sexual and mental hazing dating back to the 1970's (including two at the university where my father taught), Robbins shows how the sororities' national governing body, by discouraging hazing but failing to define it, managed to drive it underground in some chapters while simply weakening the group bonding process in others. She challenges the national body to define hazing outright and then to ban it, while instituting positive group-building methods.

The book could be improved. For example, the treatment of historically black sororities is too brief, although the main purpose of the book is an undercover report on white sororities (Robbins is white). One of her four main "interviewees" is black, and she displays little understanding of the challenges a young black woman faces in a group of rich, overprivileged white women.

Throughout the book, Robbins refers to her subjects as "girls," while she calls their fraternity counterparts "men" about half the time. This grated on my nerves. When I moved to Texas I was struck by the fact that university sports were divided into "men's" teams and "girls'" teams. Nomenclature is a small point, but it is not trivial. It reflects the overall status of persons. College males have historically been called men, while females have been called girls--unless they were married. Age did not enter into it.

I doubt that women who love their sororities will be at all happy with this book, except, perhaps, for some of the recommendations in the last chapter. Certainly the fact that Robbins was forced to go undercover made it a very different report than it would have been had she had open access, with sisters, advisors, consultants and university administrators knowing who she was, providing interviews, offering information, and engaging her on various levels. Instead of treating investigators like Robbins as partners in reform--reform of a system in which young women abuse alcohol, vomit so frequently they damage the plumbing, get raped, and die--they circle the wagons. Outsiders are left wondering what sororities are hiding.

Robbins is, after all, calling for reform of the system, not for getting rid of it. She finds something of value in it: groups in which young women find a niche, friends, a place to fit in. She hopes to make it a better, safer place for more women, one with less racism, hostility, and danger.

Those in charge might learn from NASA, whose media policy, after the disaster of the Apollo 1 coverup, changed from secrecy to "When things are going well, tell the media everything they want to know. When things are going badly, tell them more."...less

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