<p>Yesterday I received an "Ask the Dean" query from a parent who would like me to recommend fiction about college life and coming of age ("preferably humorous") that would give a high school junior a glimpse of what "college is really all about."</p>
<p>I Am Charlotte Simmons by Tom Wolfe is the first book that sprung to mind. But it's not one I'd jump to recommend for multiple reasons (e.g., #1. lots of explicit sex and drinking that won't be well received in many households; #2. I didn't particularly like the book myself).</p>
<p>The other book I thought of immediately is **Prep: A Novel ** by Curtis Sittenfeld. This is about adjustment to boarding school, not college, but many of the issues are the same: roommate dynamics, academic pressure, "hooking up," scholarship students vs. affluent students, etc.</p>
<p>Another I've heard of but haven't actually read is Joe College: A Novel by Tom Perrotta. (Any thumbs up or down on this one?)</p>
<p>I bet CC members can produce a longer and better list. Seems like there are lots of movies out there that would qualify for this roster, but how about books?</p>
<p>I have read Charlotte Simmons and Prep and I think Prep would be interesting (a bit scary!) for someone from a small town heading off to a small Northeastern LAC. Anyone heading to a large southern school with a big fraternity sorority scene should read Charlotte Simmons - or maybe their parens should read it, keeping in mind that it is not a documentary :)</p>
<p>How about Love Story by Erich Segal? I know it's a novelization but I remember loving it. I think the kids were just out of college and there were stories of college life in there. Well, I guess those were stories of college life in the 60's... never mind.</p>
<p>I loved A Separate Peace when I read it (about 100 years ago!). It's another prep-school story that also addresses issues that college students face as well.</p>
<p>MidwestMom2Kids--I agree that Charlotte Simmons is not a "documentary" but I was also surprised by the number of college students I've spoken with who felt that the book mirrored their own experiences more than I expected that it would.</p>
<p>I actually think "I am Charlotte" would be a fantastic novel to ask your child to read with you as parents reading it too. It offers a whole bunch of great conversational openers about self-esteem and peer pressure, and the sorts of situations students might find themselves in, and decisions they might find themselves making. I'm actually hoping my kid's youth group at church might use at least some of it as a jumping off point for discussions about values and decision-making.</p>
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I'm actually hoping my kid's youth group at church might use at least some of it as a jumping off point for discussions about values and decision-making.
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<p>Even though I wasn't nuts about the book, I think that's a great idea. I like the concept of using books and movies as family discussion fodder. In fact, I tried that recently when my husband and I ended up watching "Juno" unexpectedly with our 11-year-old son. I attempted to turn it into a 90-minute sex-ed lesson, but he (the kid, that is, not the spouse) stared straight ahead and grunted responses through most of it. Guess that was an idea whose time hadn't come ... or wasn't approached the right way by the well-meaning mom. But I'm hopeful that perhaps it set the stage for future (and more fruitful) literary and cinematic interactions (!)</p>
<p>May I just say that whatever the graphic/realistic content of Charlotte Simmons, the simple act of reading it is just abysmal? The Da Vinci Code read better than that. I truly think it is the worst novel I have ever read, regardless of its content. The writing style is just horrible. </p>
<p>I think it's aimed at a younger audience and it doesn't deal with drugs and booze, in part because it takes place at a women's college in the very early sixties, but I'd recommend Cynthia Voight's "Tell Me If Lovers are Losers. " (If that's not the title, it's close to it.) It's not in the least like "Charlotte." It does deal with the difficulty of trying to live with other young women from much different backgrounds than your own and who have different values and expectations of life. </p>
<p>Another book which is set in college is Joyce Carol Oates' "Black Girl, White Girl." Again, it may be "White Girl, Black Girl." It's also about college a few decades back. It's not really a primer about college, but it's a good, thought-provoking book.</p>
<p>Less Than Zero does a pretty good job of capturing the entitlement and self-destruction that sometimes accompany the college experience. It's actually more about returning home from college for break, but a lot of it is tied into Bennington anyway. It's by Bret Easton Ellis, and a pretty fast-paced read.</p>
<p>I liked the Tom Wolfe book and I'm looking forward to his new one, due out next May. However, I did not care for the subplot involving the politician and the fraternity boys, that was awkward and added nothing.</p>
<p>I like Tom Wolfe's books - Bonfire of the Vanities in particular, as well as A Man in Full - but I found Charlotte Simmons to be overly stereotypical and relentlessly negative.</p>
<p>A Separate Peace is a great book. It takes place at a prep school modeled after Exeter. Despite not taking place at college, it's well worth a read for any high schooler.</p>
<p>A Separate Peace was TERRIBLE.
It isn't nearly about college, as it was about the relationship between the main charecter and his "friend/lover" and a bit on WWII.</p>
<p>Coming from a high school senior... Joe College was a great read. It's smooth and quick and funny, but also does an amazing job painting a portrait of college life, and the characters and differences that one is likely to encounter there. I'm currently reading it for the second time :) </p>