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The Real Animal House is an eloquently-rendered, incredibly raunchy, and hilarious tale of life in the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity at Dartmouth College during the dawn of the 1960s. Miller’s characters are colorful, fascinating, and, at times, frightening.
The main character is Pinto, a sensible lad who falls into the welcoming lap of the wrong crowd. Namely, a fraternity that requires him to master the fine art of “power booting.” We join him through many a drunken night, including several adventurous road trips and spectacular three-day parties. And incredibly, through it all, he still manages to get a decent education.
Despite the subject matter, Animal House reads like a piece of fine literature, packed with brilliant dialogue, artful descriptions, and charming metaphors. And you will not walk away without learning some interesting facts. For example, did you know that if you urinate on the back of a person wearing a couple of layers of clothing, they won’t realize what’s happened until well after you’re finished? You just never know when information like this will come in handy!
It’s disturbing that Animal House is described by the author as a “somewhat lucid memoir,” and it’s miraculous that so many of these brothers made it out alive. For those of you who have already seen the movie, the book is far more explicit and definitely not for the squeamish. One part of this book did indeed make me gag (this impressed me tremendously). However, when you’re not gagging and your jaw isn’t hanging, the insane antics of these loveable, vulgar buffoons will have you laughing out loud.
