Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review!

3/5 stars

As a recent college graduate, this book made me laugh. The satire was pretty hilarious and spot on but I felt that the writing and the POV to be a bit disjointed and somewhat clunky. All in all though this is a very funny look at college and the mania that is college life. Enjoyable read. Looking forward to what the author writes next.

I loved the wit and humor of this book. It wasn’t what I expected but was wildly entertaining.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

A refreshing, laugh-out-loud satire on current liberal college life in the U.S. of A.! Campusland explores the motivations behind popular causes de rigueur, along with the consequences and effects on innocent parties.

Campusland follows the stories of Milt, the University president, Eph Russell, the quiet and content English prof who only wants tenure status to continue enjoying his rutted life in upper academia, Lulu Harris, rich little socialite, and wanna-be IT girl, and "Red,' the trust fund baby who hides his wealth to stay at school and promote social causes...for his own social status. A must read for anyone who watches any kind of news with some sortt of shocked fascination as to what is becoming of University campuses in America.

Warning. If you are not the type who enjoys laughing hysterically out loud, then avoid this book. Campusland by Scott Johnston is absolutely hilarious, one of the funniest books I have read in many years. The ARC, courtesy of NetGalley and MacMillan Publishers and in exchange for an honest review is a hoot.. The book follows the adventures of a young, untenured English professor Eph Russell at a beleaguered Ivy League college populated with trust fund brats, campus radicals and would-be radicals, a social climbing wanna be model, militant feminists, a clueless Dean who believes money CAN solve everything and committee upon committee for self righteous and politically correct ideas. No sacred cow is left unmilked or unskewered when Russell's classroom discussions of Mark Twain garners the attention of the various campus factions, ultimately resulting in a riotous climax of epic proportions (including a 12' foot tall penis and matching vagina). Original, funny and highly recommended.

I actually had to read the author’s note at the end of the book to be sure that this book was a work of fiction. I didn’t find a lot of funny things in the book. I was glad to see the author say it was a satire because that’s the way I wanted to take it. The setting is an exclusive, Ivy League fictional college in Alabama I believe. There are a whole host of characters that were intertwined in the story. Several of them I wanted to get to know better and some I wish I met again. College is a strange place anyway but this one, known as Devon, is weird from the president to the girl that will do anything to make sure she is remembered long after her time at Devon is past. This book was difficult to rate and I’m glad to move on to my next book and can’t wait to see what exciting adventure that will bring. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest opinion.

Writing satire, I imagine, is a bit of a tightrope walk. Unfortunately, for me this missed all around. I only got about a quarter into this before I set it aside. Clunky for me where a lighter touch might have resonated.

Just finished this tonight! While it is a work of fiction and meant to be satire, there is also so much truth behind the storylines & characters! This book is narrated by multiple voices: a professor at a prestigious private university, a bright and very privileged freshman girl recently beginning her studies there, a jaded frat brother, the President of the university, a revolutionary who can’t figure out what to fight for, and more.

The basic premise is to give us a taste of what higher education is today, particularly in a climate of social progress, where everyone feels marginalized and wants to be heard. The race to see who is “most woke” is real.

In Campusland, an enterprising young woman who wants to be the new “It Girl” begins a snowball chain of events that takes everyone down with her like dominos! A Title IX investigation of misconduct takes a hapless professor from popularity and security to that of a campus pariah. This sets in motion a desire for everyone on Devon campus and eventually around the world to take a side.

Despite its serious moments and thought provoking content, this book had MANY hilariously funny moments that had me laughing out loud!! I either LOVED or loved-to-hate each character. Also, the dialogue is perfection!!

I highly recommend this book, especially if you ever attended college, have kids in college or work on a college campus!!! The ending could not have been better and I’m so so so glad I read this book!

5 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, #Netgalley!
#Campusland

HEAR YE, HEAR YE, all you who work with or near college students must read this book. Johnston has written a brilliant satire on today’s college politics.

I laughed out loud many times, read portions to colleagues because so much of it touches the truths of campus life and over.zealous political correctness.

I found myself remembering many campus incidents with students who used magic phrases like those echoed in the book to pursue their personal agendas.

It is the story of Eph, a college professor awaiting tenure who begins a bloody descent into public humiliation and persecution following his attempts to teach a classic Mark Twain novel in his American literature seminar.

He soon becomes a political target of a seriously disturbed student and power hungry zealots who use Eph to further their own agendas.

Since I don’t want to include spoilers, let it suffice to say, I highly recommend this to everyone who loves to chuckle and try to understand the vagaries of today’s sexuality and politics.

Thank you Netgalley and Scott Johnston for giving me a really great book to read and review.

I enjoyed Campusland for the most part. I attended an ivy league institution and worked for another Top25 university, as did my mother. They have definitely become very politically correct. There are committees for everything and every voice must be heard.

I found the general descriptions of the day-to-day life spot on. The university and the college president is beholden to so many constituents - students, professors, the trustees, etc. The staff have almost no say. Big-name professors increasingly demand all sorts of money and perks.

I laughed out loud at the ingredients of the "pink pantydropper" punch at the frat party. My grandmother drank Popov's vodka. She even asked my cousin to go out and buy it when she was in the hospital right before she died. And my dad drank Natural Light beer when he was putting us all through college. Our golden retriever was named Nattie Lite.

***My only concern with this book is the cynical view of the sexual assault case and the #MeToo movement. Until very recently, universities covered up these cases. Historically, found in favor of the assailant or punished him very lightly. There will likely be some backlash to this storyline. You might consider toning it down or at least addressing this history.***

Campusland by Scott Johnston is likely to be polarizing for readers. Love it or hate it, however, it will create conversation around the current dynamics on college campuses, the bounds of political correctness, and the Me Too Movement, to start.

This satirical novel looks to fictitious Devon University as a microcosm for current college culture. It reads in a way that is cinematic - moving to a dramatic conclusion. My hunch is that those who read this book keeping the satirical nature in mind will find a fair share of laughs, as well as some things to think about from reading.

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

I'm such a sucker for books set in schools--this one at Devon University. I'm a sucker for a good satire and as a retired English teacher, I'm also a sucker for references to classic literature--as in this novel when Huck Finn is challenged as being racist with no "content warning" (even as it's taught in a nineteenth century English class)! I laughed so hard while reading this brilliant novel; nothing is sacrosanct here! Johnston examines the elite white socialites, trigger warnings, gender identity issues, personal pronouns, social media, secret societies, fraternities, racial inequality, sexual assault, Title IX, and literally everything relevant to today. The characters--like protagonist Eph and student Lulu--are funny and quirky while still remaining realistic without being stereotypes. I simply loved this novel as it calls attention to so many issues that plague our politically correct tendencies and reminds us to sometimes take a step back and just laugh for a change!

A wicked satire of politically correct campus life. Campusland shows the collegiate experience from multiple points of view from entitled students to the viper pit of academia. The storyline holds few surprises but the plot moves along briskly.

This book was tedious for someone who teaches in higher ed because the dynamics between characters and the what the author notices are more similar to the stirred-up pundits' fears about encroaching diversity and the squelching of freedom of speech than actual life on campus. Maybe I'm just the wrong audience. Honestly, I didn't finished the book, but there is so much better to read. This book will find its audience, I'm sure.

Campusland by Scott Johnston is an entertaining read. From the description, I expected a really funny book, and I did grin now and then. But that's as far as it went. Mostly I was disgusted and sad about the protest on a dime mentality of today's learning institutes.
This book pits students against college professors and administrators. Professor against professor, fraternities against groups and to top off the chaos, toss in a campus activist to keep things happening. I did enjoy how the author wrapped things up at the end.
This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I read a quarter of this before giving up. It lacked subtlety--it's a great topic, but deserves a much better treatment.

Campusland promises to be a hilarious and brutal look at an Ivy League style college. It is set in the fiction college of Devon University over the space a school year. We see how the time passes for a small group of students and faculty. The book is narrated from the point of view of the well-meaning old Dean, a passionate English professor, a bored freshman social media star, a group of fraternity bros, and a political activist wanting to shake everything up. The book discusses all of the major social topics of the day in a way that the author is keen to remind us is both realistic and really funny. And he really means it. It's just unfortunate that it's not actually true. Well, at least the funny bit. I can't really speak for the state of American higher education establishments. But, still, I have my suspicions that a lot of this is hyperbole coming from a place of bitterness.

The narrative to Campusland is what I would describe as very thin. It plays out more like a television series than a book.  We experience lots of little episodes that all culminate in one big finale. There are lot of jumps in time and not a lot of development. And, crucially, not as many jokes as Scott Johnson would have you believe. Devon is presented as one of those politically correct and "woke" colleges where they are worried about offending everyone and teach their first years boys about consent on their first day. All the students are the kind of people that journalists over the age of 40 would describe as "snowflakes" because they hate racism, sexual assault, and sexism. There is a lot of student protesting throughout this book but there is never a point when it presented as anything other than ridiculous. The students are ridiculous for protesting and the school is shown to be ridiculous for listening to them. Then there's the over-exaggerated committee that ensures student welfare and equality. Rather than being a necessary thing it is written as a joke. A group of people out to cause problems over the smallest of matters.

But, the biggest problem I have with this book is the central story line. A story line which has a impact on every character we meet. Freshman student and socialite, Lulu Harris, isn't sure why she went to university when she simply plans to become a star. But it looks good and she can sleep her way around campus at least. Until, after a one-night stand, she bashes her eye on a table and finds herself labelled as a victim of sexual assault. What happens next is a story in which Lulu, the slutty New York It Girl, makes a false rape claim against her Literature Professor, Eph Russell. A claim that is taken seriously by everyone but Lulu. It sees the new Dean for Equality set her sights on getting the innocent and sweet Eph sacked even once Lulu reveals the truth.

Again, this is supposed to be a funny story.  A young girl trying to get media attention though a silent protest that gains a lot of traction. A professor who did nothing wrong but keeps saying the wrong thing. And a woman who lets the power get to her head for acclaim amongst her peers. But what it actually does is give credence to the idea that girls simply cry rape when they regret having sex with someone. I don't think the idea of sexual assault or fake claims of sexual assault are grounds for comedy but, of they were, this certainly wasn't the way to do it. This is a vicious and toxic book that isn't even funny enough to justify what it's doing.

When you're being insulting in a comedic sense there is a fine line between being funny and being plain mean. There is never a point in Campusland when Scott Johnson ever goes into being funny. This is the kind of awful frat boy humour that just misunderstands the people it's making fun of. We hear feminists say things like "consent doesn't matter if you're a man" and push young girls into making rape allegations. This is the same kind of exaggerated bullshit that is being pushed in the media about millennials. When in actual fact, they're a lot more tuned in and sensible. It just makes Johnson seem like a bitter old man who has decided younger generations aren't worth listening to. It's pathetic and I had a hard time finishing this book. And I say that not just because I found it offensive. It was also not very well-written and the characters were massively under-developed. They all had one trait and that was it. And they were all such lazy stereotypes. There was not one original or interesting idea in this entire book.

I was not a fan of this book. I thought the premise sounded interesting, which was why I took a chance on it. but this time, unfortunately, I was burned.

With Campusland, Scott Johnston joins a long list of authors who have taken a satirical look at societal mores through the lens of what goes on behind the scenes at a modern college campus. Focusing on an academic year in the life of Devon University, a fictionalized version of Yale, he introduces us to Eph Russell, an untenured assistant professor of English who is a star teacher. However, when Russell inadvertently runs afoul of a variety of special interest groups at the university—African-American students, the Women’s Collective, the Progressive Action crowd—his chances for life-time job security are seriously threatened. Adding to his troubles is a sexual assault accusation he receives from Lulu Harris, a first-year student who is far more worried about her social status than her academic career. This sets into motion a series of farcical events involving a broad array of factions from around campus (e.g., administrators, diversity committees, faculty, alumni, students), all of whom act in their own self-interest more than for the collective good.

I had a very mixed reaction to this novel. Primarily, I found it to be quite derivative of other works that covered similar topics. For instance, the entire dysfunctional English Department theme was covered brilliantly in Richard Russo’s Straight Man. In her classic The Groves of Academe, Mary McCarthy satirizes the collateral damage of political correctness run amuck on a college campus. Tom Wolfe has even given a thorough take on the “randy, status-seeking freshman coed at a prestigious private school” storyline in I Am Charlotte Simmons. The conflicting worlds of “town vs. gown” were captured by Jane Smiley in Moo. And so on and so on. (Incidentally, the author also appears to borrow liberally from film as well as from literature, such as the “genitals tied to a cinder block” scene in Old School and the climactic “rowdy fraternity gets its revenge” scene from Animal House.) Therefore, it is not altogether clear how much new ground is being broken here.

On the other hand, there is something compellingly readable about Campusland, even if the author’s concept of how universities actually function is often flawed (e.g., his notion of how tenure is earned and granted is laughably misguided and the “pay agitators to go away” vignettes are way over the top). While none of the main characters beyond Russell were developed with sufficient depth to make the reader care much about their ultimate fates, this was still a story that was nicely paced and very well-plotted. Although I suspect many will have a problem with the inherent cynicism of the main “bogus Me Too claim” plotline, I found it to be a fresh way to frame the dramatic tension in the book and one to which the author committed gleefully. Beyond that, he also integrates several modern cultural references in an effective way. So, I did find this tale to be a respectable addition to the ever-growing campus novel genre, despite the persistent feeling that most all of it has already been done before.