Old+School

**Old School** by Tobias Wolff

Summary Tobias Wolff's //Old School// is set in 1960 in a boys only New England prep school. The prestigious school is rooted in literature, and many of the boys are obsessed with it. Every year, three accomplished writers visit the school to talk about their work. Their visits are not the most exciting part for the literature fanatics because they are focused on the competition. Only boys in their senior year could enter the cherished competition. They could submit one piece of writing for each guest. Then the writer would chose the winner the day before his or her visit. Robert Frost, the first guest of the narrator's senior year, easily captivates the students with his poems and quirks. Once the second guest, Ayn Rand, is chosen, some masters object and voice their disapproving opinions to their students. Even though the entire faculty does not agree, Ayn Rand is able to follow through with her visit. Because the third writer is one of the most acclaimed writers of the school and America, the senior boys realize that he is the best chance they will receive to break into the literary world. This writer causes the best and most competitive writing from the senior students. //Old School// is the classic story of growing up and discovering yourself. The narrator struggles throughout the novel with his identity because he keeps facts about his life and heritage secret from his friends and teachers. The book demonstrates how much people can mature and evolve in just one year, and it compares that growth to what a people accomplish over their whole lives. Also, //Old School// illustrates how reading books can help people learn new things about themselves. Whether the readers relate to a certain character or plot line, they always seem to have more knowledge about themselves when they have finished the book.

Response Before I started reading //Old School//, I thought the novel would be a revealing story about a boys only school; I was excited to read about something that I would never be able to experience. I was pleasantly surprised to realize that the story wasn't just focused on life at the school. Wolff used the school as the setting, but the interesting part is the narrator. I enjoyed being able to read the thoughts of a senior boy who is determined to become a writer. I found his love for literature inspiring. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves literature and likes reading stories about people who share that love.

By Maddie Jewell