The Benefits of Friends" by Jana Matthews is a self-help book that explores the importance and impact of friendships on mental health, happiness, and overall well-being. Drawing on research from psychology, sociology, and personal development, the book examines the various ways in which friendships contribute to our lives, including providing emotional support, fostering personal growth, and enhancing social connections. Through practical advice, personal anecdotes, and insightful tips, "The Benefits of Friends" offers readers guidance on how to cultivate and maintain meaningful friendships, navigate relationship dynamics, and build a supportive social network. It emphasizes the value of investing in friendships and highlights the positive effects they can have on our lives.

I enjoy a book with a lot of research and some personality and felt like this really fit the bill. She not only knew the subject from all sides but really had some enthusiasm that made the book very readable as someone know knew very little about the Greek system in colleges. Great for anyone who wants to know more! I think even those with experience in Greek life would get a lot of out of it too.

Having been a member of a sorority in college in the early 2000s, I found this to be an interesting read. An important note though is that not all Greek life is the same. While the author focuses more on Southern Greek life, this is not representative of all Greek life. An interesting read to see a look into the collegiate Greek life.

Jana Mathews is both an insider and an outsider to Greek life and applies that lens — as well as her academic bonafides — to this book. Given the outsize role, fraternities and sororities play in college life — and the prominence of former frat members in high-powered positions — this is an overdue examination of Greek life.

As an advisor for my sorority and a woman who studied FSL for much of her graduate degree, I imagine I would’ve looked to a book like this during many of my graduate papers. Much of the writing on Greek organizations is fairly dated and while brief, this book does mention changes brought on by the pandemic and BLM and the Abolish Greek Life movement. I see it as positives as it’s fairly early to see any scholarly articles/studies and for someone looking for current material to source, this would be helpful.

I think Mathew’s has an interesting perspective as an outsider brought into the Greek Life fold, but I feel it also makes her judgment more apparent. Much of the writing came across with a bias to me, namely when speaking about the behaviors of women in NPC groups. In speaking about how women send nudes to each other, I feel she’s making it clear even as a collegian, she never would’ve engaged in that behavior and almost turns her nose up. Could just be my interpretation but it struck me throughout.

While Mathew admits she focused on organizations/institutions in the South, so does almost every other work she references that came before her. Pretty much any definitive book on Greek Life focuses on the typical Southern experience, which differs greatly from my own urban experience, and the experience of many other schools in the Northeast/Northwest. That’s the book I would’ve loved to read. Yes, hazing exists, and I’m sure it exists even outside of the South, but it’s much more likely. A significant part of this book compares how fraternities put an emphasis on professional development more than sororities; I’d argue significantly that the school I work for, and many other schools I know of, a prime benefit of sorority membership is the professional network and how women lift one another up professionally. I personally got several of my first internships and jobs through women in my chapter, and have advanced in my own career through the support of other sisters. While Mathew admits her pitfalls there’s not much that makes this novel “fresh.” The Greek experience I had differs greatly from the one outlined here, and more so the experience current collegians are facing in a pandemic/post-pandemic world.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Author Jana Matthews, a professor at Rollins College, looks at fraternity and sorority life through the history of these organizations and her own personal experiences interviewing students and serving as faculty advisor to within the Greek system at Rollins. Matthews, addresses the most important issues facing the Greek system including hazing, sexual assault, racial segregation, and the impact the Greek system makes on not only the individual student but also the educational and professional community. Matthews offers much of this through historical date and personal interviews. An excellent in-depth book for scholars, educators and parents alike.