Customer Reviews

The Student Body: Short Stories about College Students and Professors

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I first heard about this book when it was chosen by the CHICAGO TRIBUNE as an EDITOR'S CHOICE book of the week. This anthology does an excellent job of capturing the variety of campus life. Russo gives a knock-out story about a nun who takes a creative writing class. Dan Chaon's story about fraternity life is both quirky and moving. Two hilarious entries: Gordon Weaver's "Q: Questing" about a guy dividing his time teaching part-time at four colleges and carrying on affairs with a woman at each campus; and Lucia Perillo's "The Wife of the Indian" from the point of view of a cynical but hilarious woman who's married to a guy who lied about his ethnicity to get a job but then leaves his wife behind when he takes off with a student. Ron Carlson's "Hartwell" is a melancholy, heartbreaker of a story. In addition to work by other well-known writers -- Thomas Beller, Marly Swick, Thisbe Nissen -- the editor has included great stories by newcomers, such as Amy Brown, Rebecca Lee, and Alex Shishin. If you like good literary stories, and if you've spent any time on a college campus, you're bound to enjoy this book. Or if you're a parent sending your child off to college, this would make a great gift.