I am Charlotte Simmons. Charlotte Simmons is the valedictorian of her high school. A high school in the backwaters of America, the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. She gets accepted into Duke University (oh wait, scratch that, Dupont University). Dupont is Ivy League. The students there are wealthy. Her roommate, Beverly, is the daughter of a top corporate executive. She is, essentially, a fish out of water.
The book deals with these cultural tensions. Will she keep her identity or get engulfed by it. The problem: when you're already part of a culture you already know the rules, but when you don't you can go too far. It is also easy to get exposed for your lack of knowledge.
This book was written in 2004 and yet it is so relevant today as it deals with sexual assault, athlete privilege and liberal/conservative thought.
I have not read all of Tom Wolfe's books. I suspect that this is not one of his best efforts. And yet, you can't help but think in the last few paragraphs: what has Charlotte Simmons really become? which is exactly the question I suspect Tom Wolfe wants you to ask.
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