Not Exactly an Ivy League Read: Hacking Harvard

Well, I won't bore you guys with more apologies about being late with my post, nor will I remind you of my lack of review-worthy reading material...oh wait, I guess I kinda just did. Anyway, because I don't have much else to review at this point, I'm going to have to talk about a book today that really isn't much to talk about: Robin Wasserman's Hacking Harvard.

Now, don't get me wrong, this book is in no way awful. The writing is okay, the characters are okay, the dialogue is okay, the storyline is okay. Basically this book can be summed up by the word "okay." This isn't even close to the worst book I've ever read--in fact it’s moderately amusing--it just isn't all that memorable. For a book with characters of superior intelligence, this book was really nothing more than average. It was underwhelming--it hardly made a splash in my reading pool (see what I did there? snuck a summery metaphor in there for your guys to help beat the heat).

So what can you expect from this book if not a cannonball of a read? Well you can expect an interesting, if underdeveloped commentary on the American college admissions system. If you can't tell from the title, Wasserman's characters, Eric, Max, Schwarz, and Alexandra hack the Harvard admissions system as part of a bet to get an underachieving student into Harvard. In doing this, they learn not only about the sometimes unfair system, but also they learn not to underestimate others, and they find out more about themselves and what they want from their higher education and their lives.

Unlike Fifty Shades of Grey, which I’ve mentioned before as being neglectful of the all-encompassing nature of higher education, this book shows characters who understand the gravity of it. In fact, they are so concerned with getting into the right schools that they sometimes forget the point—which I think is a valid concern in the real world. It’s not uncommon for students today to be under so much pressure to do well that they may forget that their education is something they should be doing for themselves, not for society and everyone else.

Wasserman also does a pretty good job depicting the idealistic concerns of intelligent young adults on the verge between high school and college. The young men in this book, while sometimes trying to prove a point are also distracted by things that would distract teenage boys--like money, girls, and dares. And the romantic relationship built in this book is also pretty refreshing because it was more true to a young adult relationship. It wasn’t a twilight-esque obsession, it was more a slowly developed friendship that later becomes something more.

This is an amusing read, ideal for a summer read particularly for young adult readers—especially guys. I also liked that Wasserman has a group of male friends as the main characters (although the narrator is actually a female). As of right now, most Young Adult books have female leads so this is actually a good choice if you're looking to read about a bunch of boys.

 Despite its few merits, I won’t keep you guys any longer talking about a book that’s only “okay.” While this book isn't the worst, just keep in mind if you decide to read it that it's also not the best. It sits firmly in the Young Adult genre and I wouldn't really recommend it for older readers unless they're really looking for a quick, rather amusing book to pass a little time. Otherwise, this one get's the box.