Pledged (52 page)
Authors: Alexandra Robbins
Alexandra Robbins
, a former staff member of
The New Yorker
, is the author of
Secrets of the Tomb
and
Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis
. She appears regularly in the national media, on such shows as
Today, Oprah, 60 Minutes, The View
, and
NPR’s All Things Considered
, and her work has appeared in publications including
Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, USA Today
, and
Cosmopolitan
. She frequently gives lectures on all of her books. To request a lecture or contact her, please visit alexandrarobbins.com.
“Compelling reading.”
—The Atlanta Journal Constitution
“We’ve all heard the sordid tales coming out of the Greek scene—the heavy drinking, the startlingly old-fashioned values, the exclusivity and racism, the date rapes, the hazing deaths. Robbins folds all of these weightier issues into her narrative, while also offering an often humorous snapshot of today’s college youth.”
—Salon
“A juicy read.”
—Pensacola News Journal
“Robbins grapples with a terrific amount of research on Greek life, and the book that results is fascinating and, in the end, highly alarming.
Pledged
is amazing in the same way that reality TV is amazing: It’s the car crash you can’t take your eyes off of...Every parent of a college-bound daughter should read this book. And Alexandra Robbins: You go girl.”
—The New Republic
(online)
“Funny but alarming.”
—People
“Robbins’ account of life inside the sorority house...makes for fascinating reading...Where the author really scores is in her analysis of why otherwise intelligent and sensitive women would sacrifice their independence, and often self-respect, for the sake of an artificially engineered secret society.”
—Booklist
“Robbins offers a titillating take on sisterhood gone mad.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Astonishing.”
—Austin American Statesman
“A controversial new book on sorority life...[a] fascinating look at sororities.”
—People
“Racy.”
—Newsday
“Robbins’s book, both fascinating and eye opening, tells us a great deal about well-to-do young women in America and about the pressures on them... Robbins writes with empathy and affection for her college-age subjects.”
—Washington Monthly
“Robbins chronicles their catfights and love lives, the superficiality of rush and the cruelty that can take place during pledging, which makes for juicy reading.”
—Arizona Republic
“The narrative, which follows these girls through pledge hazing, hookups, sister drama, and date rape, is better than reality TV—it’s riveting.”
—Elle Girl
“This book is a juicy exposé on one (unnamed) university’s Greek system. Alexandra spent a school year following four girls through two sororities, where everybody diets like crazy, has random hookups, and drinks a lot...You
have
to read these shocking true stories.”
—YM
The Overachievers: The Secret
Lives of Driven Kids
Secrets of the Tomb: Skull and Bones, the Ivy League,
and the Hidden Paths of Power
Conquering Your Quarterlife Crisis: Advice from Twentysomethings Who Have Been There and Survived
Lyrics to WORK IT copyright © 2002 Elektra Entertainment Group, Inc., for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. Warner Music Group, an AOL Time Warner Company. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Copyright © 2004 Alexandra Robbins
Some names and identifying details of people described in this book have been changed to protect their privacy.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. For information address Hyperion, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10011.
The Library of Congress has catalogued the original print edition of this book as follows:
Robbins, Alexandra
Pledged : the secret life of sororities / by Alexandra Robbins.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-0-7868-8859-7
1. Greek letter sororities-United States. 2. Women college students-United States-Conduct of life. 3. Women-Education (Higher)-Social aspects-United States. I. Title
LJ51.R63 2004
378.1’98’55—dc22
2003056815
eBook Edition ISBN: 978-1-4013-0405-8
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Cover design by Laura Drew
Cover photo © Paul Vizdic / Iconica
First eBook Edition
Original hardcover edition printed in the United States of America.
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