Take your best shot

Beer, drinking, sex, Greek life and bars are all issues Steve Hofstetter tackles in his new book Student Body Shots. While he's not exactly Shakespeare, this book cuts through the bull providing a realistic retrospective of the best "4-6 years of your life."\nIn a way I am glad I have finished reading the book, as I fear I was beginning to frighten my classmates with my sudden outbursts of audible laughter. The book itself is an extension of the work Hofstetter has been doing in his column "Observational Humor" featured on collegehumor.com. The important plus to the book is the pictures of the author as a child: A riveting bonus in my mind! \nI am up for the classics as much as the next gal, but sometimes you just need a quick read, and this book is exactly that. In an essay-type format Hofstetter examines everything from moving in to moving out your senior year. There is a particularly good chapter about sleep and television, important factors to any college experience.\nAt times blunt, the book is a must-read for all freshman still seeking some understanding of what lies ahead, and for anyone else looking to reminisce. The choppy essay-like format is at times distracting as Hofstetter's thoughts pour out onto the page, and sometimes the chapters get crass and can be a little blunt. However, the good far outweighs the bad. The passages in this book are right on the money, so much so that I am sure someone can identify with each one. For example, "Why can I spend forty bucks in a bar in one night, but refrain from ordering extra cheese because I don't want to blow the fifty cents." The book's charm is in its blatant honesty, and realistic perspective on the college experience.