The Pledge: The Story Behind The Story

10 interesting or fun facts about The Pledge.

1. The idea for The Pledge was born from Laura’s and Christine’s college experiences. Laura belonged to a sorority at the University of Maryland at College Park and Christine was part of a drug-free exhibitional gymnastics group at Maryland.
2. Secondary characters are so much fun to write. Caz, Alec’s crazy roommate, is based on a friend Christine had in college.
3. William is loosely based off a friend of Laura’s brother, Dan. Dan’s friend often changes his name and Laura fell in love with his zest for life and with his ability to alter his perspective.
4. Almost all of the locations in The Pledge actually exist at UMD or nearby. The kissing tunnel, the climbing wall, the Graham Cracker, Sandy Spring Adventure Park, and the trampoline room are all real places. The only location that doesn’t exist is the bar, Shell Shocked, but that bar was modeled after one Laura frequented (frequently!) called Terrapin Station.  
5. A fun fact...Taren’s dorm, Denton Hall, was where Laura lived during her freshman year. Alec’s dorm, Centerville, was where Christine lived. Both dorms are on opposite sides of the underclass residential area of campus. The location of the dorms are symbolic of just how opposite Alec’s and Taren’s lives are.
6. The names of the fraternities, sororities, and the Acroletes are all made up to protect the reputations of the various groups that inspired the story. However, many of the events are based on reality. Laura has had beer dumped on her at her initiation party and Christine has flipped through fire.
7. Laura’s sorority had a chef named Lisa, who did in fact, punish the girls when they were messy by denying them access to fat free cheese!
8. Laura is a morning person and likes to write before her kids get up. Christine is a night owl and likes to write after her kids go to bed.
9. The red string of fate is a real East Asian concept where two people believe they are connected by an invisible thread that may get twisted, but will never break.
10. Like Alec and Caz, Laura and Christine played on the ropes course at Sandy Spring Adventure Park. Unlike Alec, Caz, and Christine, Laura was not a natural!