Walter Donway
Retaking College Hill: The Adults Are Back
Paperback or e-book, Amazon.com

Retaking College Hill is a novel of both action and ideas. It deals with a topic which is an excellent source of dramatic conflict but hasn’t been used in literature as much as it should. That topic is the battle for academic freedom, for making universities a place for teaching and controversy without fear of retaliation.

The novel takes place at a fictionalized version of Brown University. Here things have gone beyond the normal levels of “cancel culture” and intimidation. Some people have decided that their political goals need to be achieved by any means necessary, including murder.

The protagonist is returning from the Navy to the campus where his father is the Dean. [Note: I’ve corrected the previous sentence. Previously I said he was a SEAL, but it’s his friend who is the SEAL.] Dean Kossak is under fire for not placing physical diversity above education. The SAT score required for admission varies with the applicant’s race. (This isn’t fiction.) Several people are assaulted with intent to kill. The crime mystery is a secondary aspect of the story, but it’s there.

The primary issue is the war of ideas. The main villain isn’t a person but the philosophy of postmodernism. As defined here, it means the rejection of reason and the identification of people as group members rather than individuals. The characters fighting mob tyranny don’t deny the existence of injustice, but they deny that it can be fought with more of the same — that you can fight racism with racism.

Don’t expect a full resolution of the culture wars here. That would be impossible in a relatively short novel. The ending leaves lots of room for a sequel.

One of the characters is a sex fanatic, giving an R-rated tone to the novel. Exercise discretion when recommending the book to younger readers.