Reality TV takes to the press! (as submitted to Highestwire)

Submitted by cadence turner on Saturday, October 22, 2005 at 11:32:11 AM EST.

Book Review: Plegded, The Secret Life of Sororities

Author: Jenna Silberman

The reason reality TV is so popular these days is because people enjoy witnessing real life drama. Alexandra Robbin’s book, Pledged, is one piece of non-fiction literature that is definitely worth reading. Filled with tons of real life drama from cover to cover, it is a real page turner. Over the course of a school year, Pledged follows four different college girls who are each in sororities . The book explores just what it’s really like to be a part of a sorority.

While doing research for this book, Robbins did in fact get the reality she was looking for. The book chronicles the shocking reality of sorority girls lives which included drugs, psychological abuse, extreme promiscuity, racism, violence, and rampant eating disorders. The most surprising aspect of Pledged was the fact that this abuse was inflicted and endured by intelligent, successful, and attractive women. Pledged is like watching the real world; The characters and the drama are real so you can’t help but be interested in what is going to happen next.

In addition to the dramatic reality of the book, there is also interesting information regarding sororities. Those little sections full of facts regarding all kinds of the different aspects of sororities were a great way to break up the drama surrounding the different characters. The information ranged from facts to true stories regarding hazing, drinking, social requirements, family traditions, racism and even interesting history about different sororities throughout the country. While Pledged may not be the next great American classic novel, it certainly is a juicy exposé that was quite entertaining and worth reading.

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