Required Reading for the Disenfranchised Freshman

 

My Thoughts:

This has such POTENTIAL, starting with the very appealing title of the book. 

Sadly, this is definitely not required reading and it falls flat of everything that it could be. The publishers say this is a book for fans of Dear White People, so I will start there with the review of this book. Like Dear White People (DWP), this book takes on some stereotypes of characters from both sides of the color aisle in this PWI college (predominantly white institution). The faculty in DF (Disenfranchised Freshman) are clueless, toothless or feckless which means that the students can continue to act out. However, what this book is missing that is done so well in DWP is that sharp dialogue and humor in DWP that hints that there is something deep beyond the tropes and stereotypes from both sides. DWP shows characters that are flawed and nuanced, including the main character. Her "wokeness" becomes part of her flaw and her strength. I kept waiting for that in DF and was disappointed. 

As teachers who are in their own battles around curriculum and diversifying bookshelves and curriculum, skip this one. I do not doubt that such overt racism happens in elite schools, but young adults need more tools around those more common micro-aggressions at universities across the country. You really can be destroyed by a million little paper cuts if you don't have tools to handle the more insidious micro-aggressions that are a reality in classrooms and work places. 

From the Publisher:

Savannah Howard sacrificed her high school social life to make sure she got into a top college. Her sights were set on an HBCU, but when she is accepted to the ivy-covered walls of Wooddale University on a full ride, how can she say no?

Wooddale is far from the perfectly manicured community it sells on its brochures, though. Savannah has barely unpacked before she comes face to face with microagressions stemming from racism and elitism. Then Clive Wilmington's statue is vandalized with blackface. The prime suspect? Lucas Cunningham, Wooddale's most popular student and son of a local prominent family. Soon Savannah is unearthing secrets of Wooddale's racist history. But what's the price for standing up for what is right? And will telling the truth about Wooddale's past cost Savannah her own future?

A stunning, challenging, and timely debut about racism and privilege on college campuses.