Rather, it’s an analysis of a subculture more ingrained and defined than many realize, and that alone gives it merit.

The material is graphic rather than pornographic and, for the most part, not even remotely attractive. But readers hoping to be titillated or fearing they’ll be stumbled will both be surprised at Hookup’s absence of pandering. Erotic encounters are viewed squarely, the student descriptions of them being especially coarse. It’s to her credit that the book is specific without being salacious. The students recorded both their own behavior and that of others. Wade, an associate professor of sociology at Occidental College, recruited 110 students to record their observations on collegiate sexual behavior and then summarized her findings in this book. Yet the doctor’s final recommendations seem certain to extend, rather than to heal, the illness. It’s a sobering diagnosis of a problem that shows the social, psychological, and physical dangers inherent in hookups. You knew it was a mess you just didn’t realize how big the mess was.Īmerican Hookup turns the light on, forcing us to consider not only how big the mess is but also what its ramifications are. Reading Lisa Wade’s description of the burgeoning “hookup culture” on American campuses is like turning on the overhead light in a cluttered garage that’s been ignored for years. For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: The full text of this article in PDF format can be obtained by clicking here.

This review first appeared in the Christian Research Journal, volume 40, number 03 (2017).

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