University Libraries

Check out the book “Dear Committee Members: a Novel” by Julie Schumacher. This laugh-out-loud epistolary novel showcases the sarcastic and cynical wit of a disgruntled creative writing professor dealing with the failure of his writing career and his personal relationships. He writes letters of recommendation to students and faculty while maliciously critiquing everyone around him: "She is a bright spot amid the moral decay of our department, a decay now physically manifested in our surroundings...at behest of the dean, the associate vice provost, and their brutal band of incompetent henchmen." (pg. 65) Through his letters he becomes an instigator of bureaucratic drama, meddling in the affairs of his colleagues while jeopardizing his social standing with insults. Despite the consequences of his actions, I suspect the letters of recommendation serve therapeutic purposes for his own identity crisis. Overall, this novel on academic life is a humorous read. As students, staff and faculty of a university, I think you will appreciate the book.

Request "Dear Committee Members: A Novel" via the Roesch Library catalog, the OhioLINK catalog or the SearchOhio catalog.

- Kevin Cretsos, Catalog Management Assistant