specific groups

"Goat: A Memoir" is without a doubt the most incisive book I have read in the past...well, probably ever. It sticks with the reader long after the book is over. While a majority of the reviews here (and in other reviews) concern Land's descriptions of the alleged hazing incidents at Kappa Sigma and whether they occurred, the meaning of the book goes well beyond that and truly deals with the virtually impervious bond that siblings - more specifically, brothers - share. The hazing incidents are merely a facet of the book, and used to compare and contrast the bond between Land and his younger brother. Being Greek myself and the president of my fraternity while an undergraduate, I cringed at the pledge process Land describes, wondering whether such a travesty of the Greek system could have actually taken place.

However, the alleged events that occurred during Land's time as a Kappa Sigma pledge is not what sticks with the reader. The initial assault endured by Land, and his survival, are gut-wrenching and described with electricity. Land's non-traditional descriptions are universally understood, and brand themselves into the reader. As an example, his description of sharing a brief moment with a girl with whom he is enamored as being "like God" is stunning, and I am sure every man who has been in love knows exactly what he meant.

While the general public and reviewers have centered their reviews around the alleged hazing incidents (and in today's tabloid society, this should come as no surprise), this book is about two brothers at subtle odds - one riddled with guilt because he was unable to protect his flesh and blood, and the other riddled with jealousy and fear for a number of reasons - and the fact that they can not live without each other. It is a must read.

Brad Land's Goat is an interesting memoir that falls a bit shy of something really powerful. (I'm thinking something along the lines of James Frey's A Million Little Pieces). Land certainly lived through not one but two harrowing experiences as a relatively young man. First, he is kidnapped and brutally beaten in his home town and then has a collection of horrible experiences as a fraternity pledge. That Land has gotten enough distance from these experiences to write about them is commendable. However, I kept feeling that the book lacked a certain raw power, that Land was somehow holding back. The minimalist writing style he uses lacks a little oomph. The book is a quick and compelling read--especially if you are curious about the goings on in a college fraternity. I see in these reviews that there are many who question the veracity of Land's recount of his pledge experience, but I think that questioning somehow misses the point. Land clearly had a difficult time in his late teens and early twenties--he has recorded it as he remembers it, as it affected him. I don't think this can be read as a searing indictment on American fraternity life and I don't think it's meant to be one. This is a man, working through his own demons, using his writing to put his own past in the past.

Being from an area of the country where campus frat life isn't quite as revered as it is in the South or the Midwest, Goat was a view into a different world. Goat is a subjective work, and it's obvious that frat life is not the area Brad Land should have focused so much of his attention on while in school. But then, Brad Land probably shouldn't have done a lot of things.

Some have criticized this book for the spare, faux hipster style. I didn't have a problem with that as its very apparent that Land is a true writer and I will chalk up the moments that seem a bit too flowery and overwritten to his youth. What I criticize is that we don't know enough about Land. After reading this book, my only thought was, "This kid's a nut." I wish he could have maybe put his life into some bigger perspective. Just learning that he was severely beaten and then obsessively tried to join a frat wasn't enough for me to figure out who Land is. We only know this kid from his present, no real background, no past and it makes it hard to picture him as a fully-rounded person. Doesn't he have any other thoughts in his head? Also, why he would willingly put himself through such torture as fraternity hazing after his experience being kidnapped and beaten just smacks of masochism. Of course, that seems to be the central question that never really gets answered. (...)

I think Land's talents would best be suited to other types of prose, and to that end, I look forward to seeing his talents producing good fiction in the future.