Review: Barefoot Boy with Cheek

Barefoot Boy with Cheek by Max Shulman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I can’t add much to the other reviews here. This is certainly over-the-top satire. Shulman’s take on college life has aged quite well, given the multiple generations that have passed since it was written. I recognized many of the types Shulman skewers from my time at college a few decades back, and I see them in the descriptions my daughters have from college in the past few years. The main frat covered is Alpha Cholera, the main sorority Beta Thigh. I’m not sure why that strikes me as funny, but it certainly does. As for the story, ehhh, it’s just there to introduce the satirical bits. And you can see Shulman’s master creation, Dobie Gillis, in the constant falling-in-love of the main character. Also beneficial is the relative shortness of the novel. I found the schtick getting a bit wearing by the end of the book.

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