Review: American Fraternity Man

Charles Washington, a college grad brimming with energy and idealism and promise, is swept up in the Compassion Boom. At the height of the financial meltdown, he spurns the prescribed job market to take a job with a not-for-profit, sacrificing salary for the selfless mission of his first post-college employer. Charles is out to save the world - the world of fraternities! Charles is an Educational Consultant with the Nu Kappa Epsilon National Fraternity Headquarters. He's making no money, but he's on a noble mission: he will crisscross the country to clean up the corroded culture of fraternity life, driving from college to college, fraternity house to fraternity house, conducting leadership development workshops and serving as a 24/7 role model for his NKE brothers. Charles will whisk away the alcoholism and drug abuse, and put an end to the hazing. He will help transform 21st-century fraternity life into a leadership experience just as enriching as the Boy Scouts. The only problem: Charles isn't nearly the clean-cut role model he wants to believe he is, and he's about to learn that he is ill-prepared for the true demands of leadership. Very quickly, he finds himself caught in a whirlwind of alcohol, parties, hazing, and sex, a series of events and decisions which will test his new values and threaten his entire future.

I do want to point out that this book should be read by people ages 17+. This book does contain scenes of alcohol, sex, and vulgar language.

I haven’t really had the chance to read much New Adult books lately so when given the chance to read and review this book, I didn’t want to pass up the offer and step away from YA for just one book and see where it can take me. This book I felt was the perfect book for me because it brings up the life of a college graduate and the idea of fraternities and the life outside of college and the tribulations one must go through to make a living.

The beginning starts off with a college student about to graduate and he is wanting to do one last thing with his fraternity and invite the parents and everything and show them that the fraternity is more than just a group of guys joining together to drink and party all the time. I felt that this book showed what fraternities were from both the good and bad side. As well as later into the book, it showed how life can prove troublesome sometimes

At the beginning of the book Charles was the type of character I could possibly look up because he seemed he wanted to really try and change the way fraternities were looked upon and he wanted to show how they were more than jocks just all about partying. However, when taking on the role of his new job, we see how sometimes old habits don’t die.

Overall this book was a roller coaster for me. I feel that this book put the reality to the idea of what fraternities were and how college students are affected by these organizations. I feel that all college students should take the chance to read this book but also the parents who might have children attending schools or about to go off. This book was an eye-opener to me and it showed me something that I am still contemplating if I am ready to approach. Reality.

I give this book 4 bites!