Fraternity: An Inside Look at a Year of College Boys Becoming Men

Toxic masculinity, deaths from hazing, and rape culture are just a few of the issues linked to fraternities, to judge by the growing shelf of books published over the past few years. In an effort to offset some of these negative associations, journalist Robbins, who previously wrote about sororities (Pledged), examines why so many young men continue to participate in Greek life. The author spent considerable time embedded in frat culture, and her sympathy clearly lies with the Greeks. Each chapter emphasizes the positives of frats: easing social isolation among college-age males (a demographic with sky-high suicide rates), forging articulate gentlemen out of unsophisticated 18-year-olds, and instilling the values of community service and volunteerism. While some of the interviewees speak candidly about topics such as binge drinking, readers may wish that Robbins had pushed back against the frat brothers' pat responses to her questions. As well, she cites a study finding that 73 percent of Greeks undergo hazing but later claims that "many fraternity chapters" do not put pledges through that ordeal.