The Frat House Fire Escape Plan: A Memoir by Charles McCain

(Image courtesy of charlesmccain.com)

One of the paramount reasons people join fraternities and sororities during their college years is the desire to develop friendships that last a lifetime. As a fraternity/sorority life enthusiast, I love to showcase excellent work of Greeks across the country. I had the great opportunity recently to read a memoir by Charles McCain entitled, "The Frat House Fire Escape Plan: Sigma Nu, Tulane and the 1970s" and I just had to blog about it.

Mr. McCain writes wonderfully and takes the reader back to the 1970s through his experience as a student at Tulane University who joins the national fraternity of Sigma Nu. McCain's memoir highlights his love for his fraternity and demonstrates how vital Greek life relationships can be throughout our lives.

McCain shares a devastating personal loss prior to attending Tulane from 1973 to 1978 and how his fraternity brothers help save his life.

"Looking back from a distance of forty years," McCain wrote, "I understand that in seeking out a fraternity, I had been looking for some structure and emotional stability in my life."

The memoir however has more lighthearted sections showcasing traditional fraternity pranks, parties with lots of booze and weed, and the relationship between McCain and a few really close fraternity brothers.

The 1970s plays a major role in the memoir, which is quite educational for Greeks born in later decades. McCain writes about how people wrote more letters back then because long distance was very expensive and how smoking cigarettes everywhere, even on airplanes, was so commonplace.

McCain's memoir depicts multiple scenarios throughout his college life, including an altercation with cooks at his fraternity house, almost being kicked out of school, and his time as an extra on a movie set.

I recommend "The Frat House Fire Escape Plan" to every member of a fraternity and sorority. McCain is a true wordsmith with a great sense of humor, which makes his memoir an enjoyable read.