The Devil and Webster

Webster College: an elite New England campus and a world of learning where creativity and inclusiveness are the presiding principles. Naomi Roth, a feminist scholar, is named to the coveted position of Webster's president.



When a student protest materializes, Naomi initially supports the movement, feeling proud and protective of the protesters, her own daughter Hannah among them. But the protest begins to fester, attracting students from other institutions and media. Attention begins to focus on one charismatic student, a Palestinian immigrant named Omar, and both the tension on campus and the essential conflicts in Naomi's personal life begin to overwhelm her until she finds herself facing an impossible and ultimately tragic conflict.

The Devil and Webster is shot through with caustic comedy, and yet the Faustian notes are a persistent reminder that the possibility of corruption - personal or institutional - remains our persistent companion, however good our intentions might be.



Jean Hanff Korelitz is the author of the novels You Should Have Known, Admission, which was made into a movie starring Tina Fey and Paul Rudd, The White Rose, The Sabbathday River and A Jury of Her Peers. She has also written a novel for children, Interference Powder, and a collection of poetry, The Properties of Breath. Her non-fiction has appeared in various anthologies and in publications such as Vogue, Reader's Digest and the New York Times.