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thephdivabooks's review against another edition
5.0
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I selected Campusland, but I ended up loving this brilliant work of satire focused on the over-the-top and often sanctimonious “woke” culture of the elite Ivy-league campuses. Come for the laugh-out-loud moments and stay for the accurate social commentary on these elite institutions, who may at times go a bit too far for the sake of proving how progressive and socially-conscious they are. I loved it!
I’m shocked this book hasn’t received more attention and accolades. I found it brilliant! Having attended an elite private college in the Pacific Northwest with similar “woke” culture, I laughed so many times while reading this. Scott Johnston does a brilliant job of showing how what often starts as well-intentioned movements can be taken (particularly in these sorts of campuses) to the extreme, where the actual purpose of the cause is often lost by the theatrics surrounding the faux-activism.
Centering around English professor Eph Russell who is hoping to achieve tenure in the current academic year, Campusland delves into the question of what happens when campus culture is taken too far, and rational thought is replaced by fear of backlash from cancel culture.
Eph is from rural Alabama, not the norm for the elite professors at Devon University. But Eph also stands out as the most rational, fair, and open-minded character in the novel. He strives to be simply a good professor, and challenge his students to learn from the great writers throughout history. But he is no match for the university administration, who jump at the slightest hint of pushback from cancel culture sweeping the student population.
There is a particularly humorous exchange in a chapter aptly names "I Feel like" between a student and Eph, when the student articulates how she feels upset that the curriculum in in Eph’s course on 19th Century Romanticism and Realism lacks enough minority representation. Eph points out that this is the consensus about the great works from that period in history, and the student responds “Whose consensus? Other people of privilege? I think we all know the answer to that, don’t we?”
Meanwhile the book is peppered with other narrators from the campus, including the President of the University, a privileged white student who fakes a stint of activism to gain a social media following and leads people to falsely believe she was sexually assaulted (a belief she does nothing to correct), a black student activist named Red who spends his time searching for the next cause he can highlight, and the head of the university’s bias response team (a team of one) who pretends to represent a larger team while unilaterally making decisions.
One of the key messages of the book is whether some institutions like the fictional Devon may have gone so far that we are now in a classic case of the lunatics running the asylum. Where the fear of not being progressive enough has now led the administration to act without thought or investigation, often undermining the integrity of the causes they are seeking to support and leading innocent people to be collateral damage. Ironically, the most open and honest character who seeks to learn and be a better ally is Eph, the rural southern white male professor. There is also great contrast to the faux activists who lead many of the problematic scenarios in other students, who show up to support and advocate for real issues that matter, but are drowned out by the spectacle made by the other events of the novel.
A brilliant work of satirical fiction that hits close to home. I loved it!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.
I’m shocked this book hasn’t received more attention and accolades. I found it brilliant! Having attended an elite private college in the Pacific Northwest with similar “woke” culture, I laughed so many times while reading this. Scott Johnston does a brilliant job of showing how what often starts as well-intentioned movements can be taken (particularly in these sorts of campuses) to the extreme, where the actual purpose of the cause is often lost by the theatrics surrounding the faux-activism.
Centering around English professor Eph Russell who is hoping to achieve tenure in the current academic year, Campusland delves into the question of what happens when campus culture is taken too far, and rational thought is replaced by fear of backlash from cancel culture.
Eph is from rural Alabama, not the norm for the elite professors at Devon University. But Eph also stands out as the most rational, fair, and open-minded character in the novel. He strives to be simply a good professor, and challenge his students to learn from the great writers throughout history. But he is no match for the university administration, who jump at the slightest hint of pushback from cancel culture sweeping the student population.
There is a particularly humorous exchange in a chapter aptly names "I Feel like" between a student and Eph, when the student articulates how she feels upset that the curriculum in in Eph’s course on 19th Century Romanticism and Realism lacks enough minority representation. Eph points out that this is the consensus about the great works from that period in history, and the student responds “Whose consensus? Other people of privilege? I think we all know the answer to that, don’t we?”
Meanwhile the book is peppered with other narrators from the campus, including the President of the University, a privileged white student who fakes a stint of activism to gain a social media following and leads people to falsely believe she was sexually assaulted (a belief she does nothing to correct), a black student activist named Red who spends his time searching for the next cause he can highlight, and the head of the university’s bias response team (a team of one) who pretends to represent a larger team while unilaterally making decisions.
One of the key messages of the book is whether some institutions like the fictional Devon may have gone so far that we are now in a classic case of the lunatics running the asylum. Where the fear of not being progressive enough has now led the administration to act without thought or investigation, often undermining the integrity of the causes they are seeking to support and leading innocent people to be collateral damage. Ironically, the most open and honest character who seeks to learn and be a better ally is Eph, the rural southern white male professor. There is also great contrast to the faux activists who lead many of the problematic scenarios in other students, who show up to support and advocate for real issues that matter, but are drowned out by the spectacle made by the other events of the novel.
A brilliant work of satirical fiction that hits close to home. I loved it!
Thank you to St Martin’s Press for my copy. Opinions are my own.
shelbynik's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
audimka's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
marilynw's review against another edition
3.0
Campusland is way over the top satirical. It's witty and funny but so over the top, so in your face constant with the satire, that I'd had enough pretty early in the book and this is with me agreeing with a lot of the messages that the author seemed to be conveying. Despite being over the top and too much for me, some of the fictional characters base their actions on real life happenings. The politics in the book are true to life but there's just so much of it, with no relief in sight.
This book has gotten a lot of four and five stars so I suggest checking out some of those reviews before deciding not to read the book. My college years were many decades ago so I couldn't relate to much in the book. I did like the much maligned characters of Eph and is girlfriend, but they were about the only likeable characters for me.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
This book has gotten a lot of four and five stars so I suggest checking out some of those reviews before deciding not to read the book. My college years were many decades ago so I couldn't relate to much in the book. I did like the much maligned characters of Eph and is girlfriend, but they were about the only likeable characters for me.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
linesuponapage's review against another edition
3.0
Man, I am not even sure how to rate this book. It started out funny, then started getting weirder and weirder by the page progressions. I know Campusland is supposed to be satirical, however, it felt real, like I could see it happening today and have seen it happen living 50 miles away from Cal- Berkley. That touched a nerve. The writing was engaging, maybe too engaging! I wanted to reach through the book and throttle so many people. This is what makes Scott Johnston a good writer.
Lulu's obsession with social media, her need to be accepted by the likes, the comments, the view count of her posts showed a sadness, I felt bad for her. I wanted to reach out and be her friend if only to add depth to her sorry life. However, her #crawlpeace shenanigans was the weirdest of all the causes and I had a hard time getting past it. but plug along I did. I am glad I did if not only to see what happens next but also to finish the book and hope that there was some good to come out of it for Professor Harris.
I guess this book resonated with me because it made me think deeply, it just was how I see what is dangerous in the "virtues" of the social justice warrior students of the day, How does the college administration decide which group is more deserving of more money, how do teachers teach their curriculum without having any given student in the class taking offense and causing problems for the teachers? How do we make it fair for all sides of the agenda's to "feel safe" if we kowtow to the loudest of the student body population and not all of the student population? These are very hard topics to talk about sometimes, if only because someone will get upset and protest the outcomes even if the subject matter is one of high importance. I feel for the adults that are trying to do their best to teach subjects, be good role models and also navigate through the murky waters of the social justices issues of the day at the same time as teach the history to the era of when it happened and not what we see with our modern eyes.
Satire at it's best. Tough issues. Campusland is that book. Well done, Scott!
Lulu's obsession with social media, her need to be accepted by the likes, the comments, the view count of her posts showed a sadness, I felt bad for her. I wanted to reach out and be her friend if only to add depth to her sorry life. However, her #crawlpeace shenanigans was the weirdest of all the causes and I had a hard time getting past it. but plug along I did. I am glad I did if not only to see what happens next but also to finish the book and hope that there was some good to come out of it for Professor Harris.
I guess this book resonated with me because it made me think deeply, it just was how I see what is dangerous in the "virtues" of the social justice warrior students of the day, How does the college administration decide which group is more deserving of more money, how do teachers teach their curriculum without having any given student in the class taking offense and causing problems for the teachers? How do we make it fair for all sides of the agenda's to "feel safe" if we kowtow to the loudest of the student body population and not all of the student population? These are very hard topics to talk about sometimes, if only because someone will get upset and protest the outcomes even if the subject matter is one of high importance. I feel for the adults that are trying to do their best to teach subjects, be good role models and also navigate through the murky waters of the social justices issues of the day at the same time as teach the history to the era of when it happened and not what we see with our modern eyes.
Satire at it's best. Tough issues. Campusland is that book. Well done, Scott!
karenleagermain's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with debut author Scott Johnston’s novel, Campusland, in exchange for an honest review.
Devon University is a “not-quite Ivy League” east-coast institution that has provided a quality education for generations. Through fond memories and rich traditions, Devon has built a strong group of wealthy alumni, who are happy to support their alma matter, as long as it continues to reflect the values they treasure.
However, there is a problem. The world is changing and life at Devon is beginning to reflect the most extreme state of these changes.
Campusland is a satire and it is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Johnston pokes at several issues, however important they may be, that have spiraled out of control due to a lack of common sense. For example, when Freshman student Lulu Harris takes a spill and is injured on campus, no one will believe her when she tells them the truth: she was not sexually assaulted. Instead of believing the truth, the situation escalates to the point that Lulu feels that she has to name an accuser and decides to point the finger at her professor, Eph Russell.
Lulu is complicated. She is a NYC party girl, who is stuck at a college far from the city and is feeling her status slip away. She has failed at making friends and can’t seem to catch a break. Lulu had a bit of a crush on Eph and his rejection stung, however she did not initially intend on blaming him or anyone else. She tried to tell the truth, but no one would believe her word. When she names Eph as her attacker, she realizes that she has an opportunity to promote her social status through a social cause. In a calculated move, Lulu starts a nightly ritual of crawling through campus. Lulu’s crawl is silent and she never speaks of her “assault,” however other people assume that she is making a statement and speaking on behalf of all sexual assault victims. Lulu becomes a sensation and she doesn’t correct any of the assumptions.
Currently, with so many powerful men being accused of sexual assault, there is such outcry at women not being believed when they are attacked, this shows the same problem in a reverse situation. Lulu was never attacked, but no one will believe her. She is only believed, when she becomes the victim that people want her to be. Her voice has actually been silenced by the very people who pretend to support her. It’s sick.
Eph, the true victim, is a white male from the South and he is helpless as his career go down the drain. Not only is he accused by Lulu, but prior to the Lulu situation, his course syllabus comes under attack by students accusing him of racism for teaching “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and for not including more writers of color. Eph has counter argument to their accusations, but the momentum of this group, including many students who are not enrolled in his class, grows. Eph keeps expecting that his luck will change and that surely having truth on his side will prevail. However, not even the clearest proof of his innocence will stop those who want him gone. By virtue of his historical power of being a white male, he is not allowed to be the victim and the people who have the power to help him, see it as a loss, if they accept the truth of his innocence.
At Devon, having power is more important than morals or truth. Fairness is a sham.
Campusland reflects a world where common sense is missing and extremism rules. This is a story world where people are very divided and there is no room for civil debate. It is uncomfortable and reflects our current world with a “You’re either with us or against us” attitude.
I loved Campusland. Johnston’s novel is a hilarious page-turner that is a keen observation of our society. I can’t wait to read Johnston’s next book.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
Devon University is a “not-quite Ivy League” east-coast institution that has provided a quality education for generations. Through fond memories and rich traditions, Devon has built a strong group of wealthy alumni, who are happy to support their alma matter, as long as it continues to reflect the values they treasure.
However, there is a problem. The world is changing and life at Devon is beginning to reflect the most extreme state of these changes.
Campusland is a satire and it is laugh-out-loud hilarious. Johnston pokes at several issues, however important they may be, that have spiraled out of control due to a lack of common sense. For example, when Freshman student Lulu Harris takes a spill and is injured on campus, no one will believe her when she tells them the truth: she was not sexually assaulted. Instead of believing the truth, the situation escalates to the point that Lulu feels that she has to name an accuser and decides to point the finger at her professor, Eph Russell.
Lulu is complicated. She is a NYC party girl, who is stuck at a college far from the city and is feeling her status slip away. She has failed at making friends and can’t seem to catch a break. Lulu had a bit of a crush on Eph and his rejection stung, however she did not initially intend on blaming him or anyone else. She tried to tell the truth, but no one would believe her word. When she names Eph as her attacker, she realizes that she has an opportunity to promote her social status through a social cause. In a calculated move, Lulu starts a nightly ritual of crawling through campus. Lulu’s crawl is silent and she never speaks of her “assault,” however other people assume that she is making a statement and speaking on behalf of all sexual assault victims. Lulu becomes a sensation and she doesn’t correct any of the assumptions.
Currently, with so many powerful men being accused of sexual assault, there is such outcry at women not being believed when they are attacked, this shows the same problem in a reverse situation. Lulu was never attacked, but no one will believe her. She is only believed, when she becomes the victim that people want her to be. Her voice has actually been silenced by the very people who pretend to support her. It’s sick.
Eph, the true victim, is a white male from the South and he is helpless as his career go down the drain. Not only is he accused by Lulu, but prior to the Lulu situation, his course syllabus comes under attack by students accusing him of racism for teaching “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” and for not including more writers of color. Eph has counter argument to their accusations, but the momentum of this group, including many students who are not enrolled in his class, grows. Eph keeps expecting that his luck will change and that surely having truth on his side will prevail. However, not even the clearest proof of his innocence will stop those who want him gone. By virtue of his historical power of being a white male, he is not allowed to be the victim and the people who have the power to help him, see it as a loss, if they accept the truth of his innocence.
At Devon, having power is more important than morals or truth. Fairness is a sham.
Campusland reflects a world where common sense is missing and extremism rules. This is a story world where people are very divided and there is no room for civil debate. It is uncomfortable and reflects our current world with a “You’re either with us or against us” attitude.
I loved Campusland. Johnston’s novel is a hilarious page-turner that is a keen observation of our society. I can’t wait to read Johnston’s next book.
Like my review? Check out my blog!
jenniferdenslow's review against another edition
3.0
Johnston has a clear view of the interior workings of a university as well as a bitter take on some of the excesses of collegiate efforts to make sure everyone gets along and no one gets offended. Highly entertaining, and vivid enough it's easy to imagine this as a movie (other than a key prop in the final showdown...) with hordes of extras participating in the campus ritual that leads to the final climax.
meldav4's review against another edition
3.0
“Campusland” was not what I expected at all, and when reading the summary again once I finished reading it, I can see how I was mid-led, or how I misunderstood, or even misinterpreted. Though it was funny, it was definitely more of an intellectual satirical type of humor, and one that I was not expecting.
I can’t help but describe this book as something you would expect from a Saturday Night Live (long) episode; spot-on yet humorous jabs at current controversial topics; causing cringes, chuckles and critique. I am impressed with the language, the style, the satire, and, of course, the unforgettable quirky characters.
I struggled with the rating to give, and still question my final decision. There is so much I appreciate and applaud, but still falls short for me to give a higher rating. Yet it was a memorable read, and is a book I think I will discuss with others, so maybe that alone should bump it higher?
I can’t help but describe this book as something you would expect from a Saturday Night Live (long) episode; spot-on yet humorous jabs at current controversial topics; causing cringes, chuckles and critique. I am impressed with the language, the style, the satire, and, of course, the unforgettable quirky characters.
I struggled with the rating to give, and still question my final decision. There is so much I appreciate and applaud, but still falls short for me to give a higher rating. Yet it was a memorable read, and is a book I think I will discuss with others, so maybe that alone should bump it higher?
thekaylie's review against another edition
1.0
i don’t think you can make a satire about race, gender, etc without 1) having a deep sense of connection with them and 2) acknowledging how supremacy actually does affect race, gender, etc. not worth keeping on my tbr all this time :/
chasingholden's review against another edition
3.0
I was actually really loving this book, I chose to put it aside and mark it as DNF for now ONLY because there was a lot of politics being discussed and with the way the last year and a half has gone I just need a break. I will be back to this one.