Wrongs of Passage: Fraternities, Sororities, Hazing, and Binge Drinking

"A grim . . . exposé by hazing expert Nuwer of the continuing yet largely unacknowledged crisis of death and injury among fraternity and sorority pledges. . . . [F]or its sustained examination of these rarely questioned traditions, Nuwer's work is invaluable." --Kirkus Reviews

What forces young men and women to accept inhuman and degrading rituals in order to belong to a social club, sorority, or fraternity? Why do college administrators and Greek fraternities and sororities continue to allow practices that risk death or permanent psychological damage? Hank Nuwer confronts these questions in this hard-hitting, heartfelt look at the dark side of college fraternal life, newly updated for this paperback edition. Nuwer takes a broad look at the problem, examining its fundamental legal and historical roots and describing many instances of abuse and criminal behavior. A moving chronology lists the names of students who have died as a result of hazing activities in the U.S. from 1838 to 2001. The book concludes with Nuwer's recommendations for reform.

Author: Hank Nuwer
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 08/22/2001
Pages: 360
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.28h x 6.26w x 0.91d
ISBN: 9780253214980

About the Author

Hank Nuwer is author of Broken Pledges: The Deadly Rite of Hazing, High School Hazing: When Rights Become Wrongs, The Legend of Jesse Owens, and To the Young Writer and has published short articles and longer essays on hazing for American Legion Magazine, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Harper's Magazine, Nuvo Newsweekly, and Human Behavior. He teaches reporting classes as an adjunct professor for the Indiana University School of Journalism, Indianapolis (IUPUI), and he has lectured on the topics of hazing and binge drinking at the University of Michigan, University of Oregon, University of Pennsylvania and Cornell University.