I think I seriously missed out on a life experience by not rushing a Southern sorority.
That’s something I never thought I would say, since I pretty much mocked sororities every chance I got back in college. And, for a good halfway through Rush, I was feeling pretty darn smug about my decision to eschew all Greek life when I had the chance. By the end of this amazing book, though, author Lisa Patton had completely sold me on Southern sorority life.
As you know, I really enjoy books set in the South. Rush is steeped in Southern collegiate traditions, both good and bad, and Patton really brings the setting, atmosphere, and, most importantly, the characters to life. There is SO MUCH packed into this one book, and if I’m not careful, I’m going to end up with a review as long as the novel itself! However, for the purpose of this review, I’ll focus on the parts that made the biggest impact on me.
Let’s start with the previously mentioned Southern sorority life. The main sorority in the book is Alpha Delta Beta, though there are about a dozen other similar sororities on the Ole Miss campus, where the story is set. Patton goes into richly excessive detail about these sororities, and it sometimes felt like I was reading an anthropological study instead of a novel. The behavior of the women pledging sororities is unlike anything I have heard of, let alone experienced.
Patton describes what a young woman goes through to pledge a sorority — the paperwork, fees, references, and portfolios that are required to even be considered — and I found it mind-boggling that anyone would willingly put themselves through that much trouble to essentially join a club. Honestly, some of those girls put more energy into pledging than they probably did applying for college.
During the first half of the book, the obsession with joining sororities seemed ridiculous. And, that’s not even taking into the account the way the sorority girls live once they become sisters and move into the sorority house. Let me tell you, ladies – Southern sorority life is what we all should be living. There’s a house mother to tend to the girls; there’s a housekeeping staff to make sure the bathrooms are cleaned and the house looks immaculate; and there’s a cook there every day to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the girls.
It’s insane. That’s the only way I know how to describe it. Insane. While many of the girls pledging are used to a more privileged way of life, it’s certainly a far cry from how I spent my college years – or any years, come to think of it!
However, my scornful view of Alpha Delta Beta definitely changed by the end of the novel, when I saw just what this small army of intelligent, capable, and actionable young women is capable of. The power of the Southern sorority emerges in the second half of the book, demonstrating the tremendous ability these young women have to affect change. These sororities are around four hundred members strong, so when they take up a cause, there’s no ignoring it.
This is beautifully demonstrated by how they choose to stand up to the social injustice against their beloved Alpha Delta Beta housekeeper, Miss Pearl, who doesn’t receive any benefits from her tireless university job. Their collective movement to help her is heartwarming and reassuring, and it somewhat puts all of the earlier Rush nonsense into place. If this is what these girls are so desperate to be a part of — this movement of women wielding intellect, integrity, and compassion — well, maybe that’s not such a bad thing after all.
Let’s move on to some of the main characters. There are so many to choose from, but I’m focusing on three characters who I feel make up the heart of book — Miss Pearl; her nemesis, Lilith Whitmore; and new pledge and college freshman Cali Watkins.
Lilith Whitmore, House Corp president of Alpha Delta Beta, is everything that is classically evil in a story – she’s elitist, racist, cruel, conniving, and underhanded. In short, she’s a completely awful person, which makes her the best kind of villain. You pretty much dislike her from her first appearance, and your dislike only grows into a seething hatred the more you learn about her. I have rarely wanted to see someone get her comeuppance as much as I have Lilith Whitmore.
Miss Pearl, on the other hand, is a completely wonderful human being. Despite my earlier skepticism for sororities, reading about Miss Pearl and how lovingly she treats “her girls” at the Alpha Delta Beta house had me ready to stake a claim for a pledge bid of my own. She creates a warm environment wherever she goes, and she is inspirational in pursing not only her dreams, but her fundamental human rights. The adversity she faces, both as a black woman and a housekeeper in the present day South, is sadly not as fictional as one would like to believe. Her story to find her own life is just as important as any of those sorority girls’.
Which brings us to Cali Watkins. In between the sorority drama and social justice outrage is a sweet, simple story about college freshman out on her own for the first time. Cali doesn’t have a lot of money and she doesn’t have a “pedigree,” but she sure has a lot of heart. Miss Pearl loves her, and of course Lilith Whitmore is out to get her.
Cali makes friends with the girl down the hall, and their budding friendship, as well as the friendships formed with other girls on campus made me homesick for my own freshman year of college, which was undoubtedly one of the best years of my life. Rush captures all the excitement, drama, fun, and adventure of making your own way in the world. Even if you never joined a sorority, you can relate to Cali’s experience as a college freshman.
After finishing Rush, I eagerly pounced on the Author’s Note at the end; I wanted to find out how much of this novel was based in truth, particularly regarding sorority life.
Much to my surprise, a lot of it is grounded in reality. The “phenomenon” that is Rush in the South, the opulence of the sorority houses, the membership numbers, and the emphasis on becoming another generational legacy in a Greek Life institution — it’s all pretty much what happens with Southern sororities. And, wonderfully, the heartwarming relationships like those between Miss Pearl and the sorority girls are based on those Patton encountered during her own sorority years in the South.
Unfortunately, this also means that all the negative aspects of the book are based in reality, too – the lack of benefits for sorority house employees, the low wages, and, most disturbingly, the “generational racism” that plagues people like the nasty Lilith Whitmore. Along with its petty social drama and sweet stories, Rush delivers a serious message to its readers about how behind-the-times our “progressive” society can still be.
As you can see, I was deeply moved by this complex and fascinating novel; I think everyone should read it. It reminds me a lot of a combo of J. Courtney Sullivan’s Commencement and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help. If you liked either of those novels even half as much as I did, then you really need to read this newest book from Lisa Patton.
Have any sorority sisters out there read Rush? I would love to know if your college experiences match those in the book!
And, be sure to check out my book-inspired recipe: Paprika Shrimp with Smoked Gouda Polenta.
I loved this book! It was nothing like my collegiate experience- I am from a small, unhoused Canadian chapter that was pretty much the polar opposite of this. However, as someone who is still an active member in her 9th year of membership, I am happy to see it written from an alumna point of view, and one that does want the best for the collegian members. Books about Greek life usually fall into one of two categories: smutty and salacious, or gossipy and detrimental. This one managed to avoid both, and I think shows the power dynamics that can be at play in large organisations like ours! I would certainly read it again 🙂
So glad you read and loved this book, too! Thanks for sharing a bit about your sorority experiences. I really enjoyed the alumna point of view, too. I wanted to write about the woman whose daughter befriends Cali (I can’t remember her name right now!) but I just ran out of room! I loved seeing everything through her eyes, though, esp her dealings with Lilith Whitmore!
I’m not from the US, so all I know about sororities is from trashy romcoms and such things. It would certainly be interesting to read a book about it that is very much grounded in reality. Loved your review, so detailed! And I’m definitely considering picking this up.
It sounds like an empowering novel with a great message.
Thanks!! I’m glad my review has inspired you to read the book. Definitely give this one a try to see sororities in a different light.
This sounds really interesting! I was not into sororities myself–I didn’t really understand the draw–but I had a number of friends who were in them and they were lovely people. I went to school in both southern Indiana (which considered itself part of the South) and then transferred to Minnesota, and I have to say the southern sororities seemed much more image-conscious–bows in hair, perfect makeup, etc. It was totally foreign to me. Even so, I think it’s nice that a book examines the total culture of the sorority–good and bad.
Yeah, my best friend was in a sorority, and from what she’s told me, it was NOTHING like the sororities in RUSH, lol. The Southern chapters seem like entities among themselves. It’s fun that you got to experience both Northern and Southern ones, though!