Sorority sisterhood means having a family you do not have to love, said an author of The New York Times bestselling book about the secrets of sororities Monday at the Kelly Alumni Center.Alexandra Robbins, author of “Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities,” told an audience filled mostly with sorority members that her book is not anti-Greek but just “a fly-on-the-wall look inside sorority life.”

Robbins said the problems of sororities being too concerned about image and not character are not solely the students’ faults but that of the national offices and alumni. She said the facts of the book do not reflect her thoughts alone.

Robbins said the majority of the scrutiny she has received about the book is the fact that an outsider dared to write about sorority life. Robbins could not reveal how the information in her book was gathered. She could also not reveal names of the characters and campus locations.

“I think that contradicts the job description of a journalist,” Robbins said. “That you can’t accurately report about an organization unless you’re a part of it.”

Robbins has written for such publications as The Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. She has also made frequent guest appearances on shows such as “60 Minutes,” the “Today” show and the “Oprah Winfrey Show.”

Melissa Korkmas, a sophomore psychosocial kinesiology major and member of Sigma Kappa, said she read the book and it emphasized certain areas of sorority life too much.

“She talked about excessive sex among sorority members at events like Spring Break,” Korkmas said. “I know it happens, but I don’t think it’s a sorority thing.”

Korkmas continued to say that even though it was a small part of the book, she didn’t feel sorority rituals and secrets should have been emphasized.

Jessica Waddle, a senior political science major, said she agreed with Robbins’ statements about sororities placing the importance on the wrong aspects of what it means to be in a sorority.

“It has nothing to do with sororities in particular,” Waddle said. “I don’t typically join organizations to meet friends.”

Robbins’ next book will chronicle the lives of high school and college students and is tentatively scheduled for an August release.