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I enjoyed so many of the selections for different reasons!
A pleasant collection of alumni essays on the occasion of the Rhode Island Ivy’s 250th anniversary. For the most part, this is blessedly free of in-jokes (apart from Jeffrey Eugenides’s contribution, alas). I could imagine this being a successful fundraising project for many colleges – though I’m not sure my alma mater (Hood College, Frederick, MD) would have enough famous graduates to fill a book! Brown, however, has a full docket of big-name authors, mostly in the humanities, including Eugenid...
I'm interested to see if this book is gonna be all "all privilege all the time" or if it's gonna be "mostly privilege but also other stuff too"
I read only Eugenides and Levithan's short stories and they were good, but not soooooo good, so I know that this review is not sufficient at all, but still that's what I did and good luck with the other 48 stories.Ho letto solo i racconti di Eugenides e Levithan, che non erano male, ma neanche qualcosa di eccezionale, quindi capisco che questa recensione non é completa ma non posso farci niente a parte augurarvi buona fortuna con gli altri 48 racconti.THANKS TO NETGALLEY AND SIMON&SCHUSTER FOR T...
Can't be impartial about this time portal in book form. Conjures the mid 80s Brown ethos in all its semiotics-and-clove-cigarette glory -- but other generations and perspectives are also present. There's a very powerful coming-of-age theme throughout that will appeal to readers of all ages.
I will read this if I get into Brown. if not this will simply sit on my want-to-read shelf until I'm comfortable with revisiting my what-have-beens. goodbye
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...
The Brown Reader is a collection of personal stories written by individuals as they reflect upon their university years. I found this series of short stories to be incredibly inspiring and very relevant. Involving writers of many different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, and personalities, it provided a wide range of perspectives on college life. Many of the entries were relatable to me in a variety of ways; one writer even mentioned keeping a journal, which I was happy to read about. J...
This anthology of Brown University alums was put together to commemorate Brown's 250th birthday. While there was a bit of pleasant nostalgia to be had, the volume was so heavily weighted towards English and Theater experience from the 70's and 80's that I felt this must have been more of a personal exploration for the editorial staff than the potential readership.That said, Ira Magaziner's account of the March to the New Curriculum and Spencer Crew's recounting of the simultaneous African Americ...
I found these essays to be rather hit or miss. LOVED Brian Christian's! Big on the nostalgia factor but can't quite imagine the appeal for someone who didn't attend Brown.
Dana Cowin, Edwidge Danticat, Lois Lowry and David Ebershoff's stories were particularly interesting and powerful.
Enjoyed some essays more than others, but loved it overall. A great read for any Brunonian!
This is book should not be read in one sitting.
Frankly there is only so many ways you can pull "we're not pretentious, we're down to earth and quirky" until that assertion itself becomes a kind of pretension. This book straddles that about as well as it could given circumstance. As many have pointed out, the diversity is admirable-- I mean, wow! One conservative! (I'm joking please don't put more mildly homophobic/racist pieces in here we don't need them.) I was actually very fond of many of the stories, some standouts being Syllabus (Annota...
As someone who lives in Rhode Island, I've enjoyed hanging around Providence all my life. Even if you don't, I would definitely give this collection a read. Many powerful memoirs as well as some very funny ones by a multitude of famous authors, Jeffrey Eugenides' was probably my favorite.