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The Brown Reader: 50 Writers Remember College Hill by Jeffrey Eugenides, Lois Lowry, Rick Moody
lbarsk's review
3.0
A solid collection of essays, but the sheer fact that Eugenides is a) the lead author on this when Madeline Miller has a piece in here and b) has a piece in here at all bumps this down to a 3 for me. I DISLIKE HIS WRITING MORE THAN THAT OF ALMOST ANY OTHER FICTION AUTHOR I'VE EVER READ. GOD. GET OVER YOUR WEIRD HANGUPS AND OBSESSIONS WITH MASCULINITY, DUDE!
Aside from his essay, for the most part I really liked this collection. It was a solid reflection on Brown's modern history and on what makes Brown as a university tick. However, a lot of the essays were about a WAY more """alternative""" Brown universe than I think is the norm for Brown students -- which is what happens when you get a bunch of authors/theatre folk/MFA students to write, so, fair -- and there were some that were SO tone deaf. The one graphic/cartoon essay that was shitting on Millenials? Come on. The several essays that felt pretty tone-deaf, race-wise? When Brown has been struggling to support its students of color for years? Could've done better, there.
It was really good, then, that the penultimate essay was by Madeline Miller, acclaimed author of The Song of Achilles and Brown Classics undergrad and Masters student. (RIP the ability for students to get MAs in Classics at Brown, which I would've done in a heartbeat.) That one made me cry on the train, and that one made me view the collection in a much more positive light.
Aside from his essay, for the most part I really liked this collection. It was a solid reflection on Brown's modern history and on what makes Brown as a university tick. However, a lot of the essays were about a WAY more """alternative""" Brown universe than I think is the norm for Brown students -- which is what happens when you get a bunch of authors/theatre folk/MFA students to write, so, fair -- and there were some that were SO tone deaf. The one graphic/cartoon essay that was shitting on Millenials? Come on. The several essays that felt pretty tone-deaf, race-wise? When Brown has been struggling to support its students of color for years? Could've done better, there.
It was really good, then, that the penultimate essay was by Madeline Miller, acclaimed author of The Song of Achilles and Brown Classics undergrad and Masters student. (RIP the ability for students to get MAs in Classics at Brown, which I would've done in a heartbeat.) That one made me cry on the train, and that one made me view the collection in a much more positive light.
sarahcvo's review
3.0
My favorites were David Levithan's and Lois Lowry's. Many were interesting, but several were weird, self-congratulatory, or just not very memorable.
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