Simply put, I was shocked by what I read in this book (being a person who firmly believes we live in a just society). I figure this "just" attribute is something left from childhood that is overly naïve and is something that needs to go out with the trash next week. Not knowing much concerning the issue of acquaintance rape apart from some exposure to the issue by hearing sad stories of abuse from college days, I figured I would read up on this issue. I am very glad I did as this book covers the history of rape, how the law has been against the female sex for over 300 years in dealing with rape, and how the majority of rapes are committed by people the person knows. I suggest this book for all people who need to move beyond the objectifying nature of women in society, and to create the space for much needed empathy for all people who have encountered sexual abuse within their lifetime.

This book was mentioned in a text book for one of my college classes. I was absolutely horrified at the sampling from the book that I read. I am a member of a Greek letter organization on my college campus. It is a shame that money gets wasted 'researching' things, when all that the book is printed about are common misconceptions that most people have heard already. If you are a potential member of a Greek organization, please disregard anything in this book. I'm horribly disappointed that someone would waste their time slandering groups that do HUNDREDS of hours of Community Service each year, and fundraise for philanthropies such as The American Cancer Society, St. Judes, and others.
I beg of you, turn a blind eye to this author's 'research', and find out for yourself... ASK A GREEK!

My, my, my! Isn't it interesting what kind of investigative scholars the Ivies are producing these days! Indeed, I am seeing nothing but whiney, Marxist, pinko, wannabes rearing their wretched heads from along the Eastern established Charles River and coast, damning all who stand in their paths! Conspiracy! Brain washing!! Outright body snatching!!!

Is such a statement offesive? Extremely! I can only hope that my utter sarcasm was dripping in the above statement. We could only be so lucky should our dear author Patty realize the same. By contributing to yet another stereotype about fraternities, the author commits the exact same glowing stereotypes as those noted in jest by myself above. Unfortunately, the author only perpetuates the same stereotypes that several Americans have of the Greek Letter system again-- and again-- and again.

Her contentions were not be merely vile were they not an attempt at meaningful research. First, her ethics of investigating the verious houses are outright deplorable; any action such as purposely deluding and decieving respondents is deserving of extreme scrutiny for bias. Second, the author makes the glaring falsity of assuming that all fraternities are indicative of her (extremely small) sample size. Third, her hasty generalizations are made even worse by assuming that her sloppy qualitative research can in any way represent the Greek Letter system, which not only is blatantly untrue but also antithetical to the very principles of qualitative research. Fourth, as another reviewer noted, her sources and information gathering are so very myopic that a description of banal does not even come close.

In short, I expect that any institution that prides itself on meaningful, insightful, and __accurate__ research would be disgusted at the sheer dearth in this writing. I expect that many readers should (and judging by the reviews, are) insulted by the same.

I recommend reading the book, but I caution taking the conclusions at face value. While it is true that events such as these unfortunately occur, it is unfair to make undue judgements of all Greek systems based on the actions of a few. The book was very well organized and portrayed occurences that should be made aware to the public, however, it is unfair and frankly libel to declare that such events can be justly proposed as "common occurences" in Greek systems. It has been shown that many advantages can come from being a member of a greek house: higher average GPA's, greater stability, network of friends, and increased ability to make contacts just to name a few. I too was a little nervous about hazing, predjudice, and substance abuse in the greek system at my school until I contacted the InterFraternity Council and the Greek Affairs advisor, who relieved my worries by presenting the benefits and facts. I have since become a member of a house and have learned just how infrequent most of these occurences are, or at least, how inflamed the stories can become. Most everyone agrees, especially greeks, that these events are uncalled for and inappropriate and we would do everything in our power to prevent such things from happening. At my house, it is demanded that women be treated with respect and equality and this is done not just because it is the law, but because it is moral and fair and not one member has a problem with it. I would urge any parents concerned about the Greek system at their daughter's (or son's) school to investigate their concerns more thoroughly. I would hate to see anyone not be able to draw on all the resources offered in college because someone was unnecesarily afriad to tap them.