When I opened up the Her Campus Spring Survival Kit, I was so beyond thrilled to see that “Dirty Rush” was sitting on top of the pile of goodies. After reading about the book on virtually every website for college girls, I knew I had to dive into the book ASAP.
The book starts off with the infamous letter from Rebecca Martinson to her sorority with the subject line “We ****ing suck so far”. The amount of expletives made for a tough read and by the end of the letter I was definitely intimidated. Martinson, author of the Foreword to “Dirty Rush”, gives the book her approval in the most convincing way possible. She basically says that the book tells it like it is, referring to sorority life. She mentions that if you aren’t in a sorority, this book is your best chance at understanding Greek life.
Taylor Bell is the main character and author of “Dirty Rush”. She is an anti-Greek life, women’s lib student who comes from a family of Beta Zeta sisters. She is quickly brought into the sisterhood by a group of girls who have her back at any time. Bell surprises herself with how much she really enjoys the sorority. These girls turn into her best friends- her sisters. The book takes it usual turn towards the end, introducing a huge turn of events with an exciting conclusion. It’s the perfect fit for a movie. Overall, the book makes a big statement about Greek life and sororities.
One part of the book in particular that describes the importance and feeling of joining a sorority is Chapter 12, when Bell is finally initiated into the Beta Zeta sorority. The initiation involved getting into a coffin, closing it, then finally getting out. It is supposed to signify death as an unaffiliated member and being reborn as an Active. After Taylor Bell goes through this process, she finally becomes a member of Beta Zeta. She says, “I’d lain in the same coffin as all of these girls. I’d signed my name in the same member book as generations of Beta Zetas who came before me. I was a part of something bigger than myself, and bigger than anything I’d ever been a part of.”
As I am not in a sorority, I am from the outside looking in, but I can honestly say the book has changed my view on sororities as a whole. It shows you what sisterhood is really about. “Dirty Rush” can make any person who is anti-sorority change their point of view.