Henrietta is a nice pig. A learned pig. A pink pig with dreams of rising in the ranks to work for social justice all across the land.
But when Henrietta applies to a certain esteemed law school in Cambridge, she is rejected without a second thought.
The porcine heroine of Henrietta, Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet's eponymous children's book, appeals to both children and adults alike. Since its publication this winter, it has proven popular in Cambridge--an employee of the Harvard Coop says the book continues to be a strong seller.
"I think a lot of Harvard students are buying the book...in addition to parents buying the book for the children," the Coop's Yasser Cruywagen says.
That might be because beneath the simple story, many readers have detected something else: a jab at elitism and discrimination within Harvard, the "Great University" on the banks of the Charles.
In the story, Henrietta is a promising, intelligent pig who applies to a school that curiously resembles Harvard Law School.
Lacking credentials, the school has no time to teach her despite her "honest and inquiring mind."
Not willing to give up, Henrietta haunts the university's libraries until she has been "discovered one too many times" and is barred permanently, a "No Pigs" sign hung over a gray and forbidding door.
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