Official Review: It Ain't College, It's War!

[Fu Zaila]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "It Ain't College, It's War!" by Subhodeep Mukherjee.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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It Ain’t College, It’s War! is a fun-filled contemporary campus novel written by Subhodeep Mukherjee. It follows the first person narrative of Rahul Arora through his four years as a Mechanical Engineering student at RCE, a fictitious college set in Delhi, India. This book is first in an ongoing trilogy.

The five hostels at RCE are separate entities named after renowned scientists. Rahul Arora is an outspoken fresher belonging to the hostel Einstein Hall. Due to his big mouth and knack for getting into trouble, Rahul quickly becomes infamous among his seniors and hostellers. Things turn worse when he gathers the courage to propose to a senior girl Preeti, notwithstanding the fact that she is already committed to another senior. Rahul’s mischiefs get him into trouble all year long. Nevertheless, Rahul is well-accepted and has quite a friend circle among his hostel mates – Vishal, Imran, Rishab, Arunava, Shubham, and Manoj, among many others. Meanwhile, semesters come and go and so do the seniors. With his group of friends and the blaring rivalry between Fermi Hall and Einstein Hall, the four years at college passes by on a whim. There is an added drama of Rahul’s relationship with a junior girl named Priyanka. The book gives a nostalgic ride through campus life; from trouble-making tendencies, college crushes and bunking classes, to students turning serious and working hard to secure their future.

I picked up the book as soon as I saw the book was by a native Indian author. It Ain’t College, It’s War! kept me hooked with its intriguing storyline. I really loved how the protagonist narrated the story as if he is conversing with us. There were many relatable elements within the story since I am an engineering student myself. The book addresses the issues of ragging and hostel rivalry with opinionated views of the protagonist, which I felt was the proper way to handle the matter. Even though most of the characters are stereotyped into being either a nerd or one of the ‘rowdy boys’ or something similar, I appreciated how it reflected reality by revealing that each character had a deeper personality to them. The nostalgia generated by many scenes was overwhelming. On the other hand, since I already knew how things work at engineering colleges, it felt a tad bit repetitive. But I was satisfied with how the author took the trouble to explain the ways, by keeping his intended audience much wider than Indians. International readers can gain a fairly good idea about college and campus life in India, which has been rarely represented in world literature. It was one of the ways in which I felt the book outshone the other typical Indian contemporaries.

The book was definitely entertaining, but there were a few problematic aspects as well. Stereotyping and fat-shaming which is so often seen in Indian culture is even more stressed in the book. As an Indian, I often feel bad about how our culture perceives fat people to be ugly and how fair, white-skinned people are seen as beautiful. This book might be an accurate portrayal of the Indian mindset in that perspective, but the author took no pains to illustrate why it is wrong and needs to change. Rahul also frequently ignores and name-calls his roommates because they are nerds and uncool, just by judging their appearance. His first meeting with them was especially aggravating. There were some italicized sentences which show what Rahul was thinking at the time; I felt those repetitive and unnecessary. In the beginning, it was difficult to keep up with the wide array of characters, but later it was fine. However, I felt none of the characters were very well-developed since the author tried more to build the plot rather than the characters. The narrator Rahul was the least developed of all. Even though I could relate to the moments from the book, I could not empathize or completely identify with the characters since their personalities were underdeveloped.

The writing is exceedingly well edited, with just a few minor errors. The author’s style could use improvement since I felt it lacked lucidity. Altogether, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and it was very entertaining. But due to some problems in character arcs, I would rate it 3 out of 4 stars. There are no general triggers, so fans of contemporaries and realistic fiction inspired by true events might want to include this book in their reading list. People who are seeking character-driven books might find it tedious and boring. It’s a go-to book for those who’re seeking a nostalgic trip through their university days.

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It Ain't College, It's War!
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Like Fuzaila's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Great review!
This book sounds action-packed! Would be a great read for young adults heading off to college!

[kandscreeley]

This one sounds like it has a glimpse of the Indian culture as well as just being entertaining. I love when you can see something that's a bit different from yourself. Overall, it sounds like a good read despite the issues. Thanks.

[Fu Zaila]

Great review!
This book sounds action-packed! Would be a great read for young adults heading off to college!

Thanks Stephanie! It sure is

[Fu Zaila]

This one sounds like it has a glimpse of the Indian culture as well as just being entertaining. I love when you can see something that's a bit different from yourself. Overall, it sounds like a good read despite the issues. Thanks.

It is. Thanks for your comment

[Fu Zaila]

This one sounds like it has a glimpse of the Indian culture as well as just being entertaining. I love when you can see something that's a bit different from yourself. Overall, it sounds like a good read despite the issues. Thanks.

It sure is a good read. I appreciate your thoughts

[Prisallen]

This sounds like a good way to find out what going to college in India is like. Thank you for the review!

[Alice Heritage]

I love the idea of naming halls after famous scientists. Based on my experiences of attending college in England, I'd say "nerds" versus "rowdy boys" sums things up quite well ... I hope we start to see some books without fat hatred soon; there is way too much of it everywhere. Thank you for a fascinating review.

[Manang Muyang]

I learned a lot from your review alone. Ragging (we call it hazing), bunking class and hostels (dorms in our campuses) are new to me. I'm also glad to meet another lady engineer! Very vivid review. And nostalgic, too.

[Delaney35]

This seems like a fun book. The perspective also is interesting.

[kdstrack]

Students who are thinking of doing a year of study abroad might find this book helpful. Your review gives a good description of what students can expect in the classroom and in the hostels. This was a very interesting review. Thanks.

[ElizaBeth Adams]

This one sounds interesting. My own college days are long gone, and I mostly lived off campus. This would be an eye-opening read about campus life in general, and Indian campus life in particular. Thank you for your awesome review.

[Ellylion]

This book sounds like a very interesting and deep insight into the college and campus life in India. I hope it brings attention to the sad fact that people can be judged by appearance. Thank you for this review!

[chiefsimplex]

The title drew caught my attention, it is hilarious and rings of a great adventure. I am not naturally a fan of college stories, but this one is exceptional - the storyline is well-developed. It is also a great opportunity to learn a bit of Indian culture. Great review!

[Charlyn Tuzon]

Seems like an interesting plot, too bad about the stereotyping. Great review!