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lalawoman416's review
4.0
Excellent points but I'm sure it fell on deaf ears since its a book for the very group of people it seeks to critique. It aged well too. 8 years on and our higher ed system is even less (in a real sense) diverse. Everyone may be from a different place or of a different color, but they're all the same type of inner circle kid with condescending viewpoints toward those on the outside. It's an endless loop of privilege and nowhere is it more prevalent than in the upper echelons of government.
anteus7's review
4.0
I think that Deresiewicz makes some excellent points about how we have come to see modern education. I feel like upper-division high school students should read (most of) this book. The end turns into a bit of a rant (warranted, there are things that are deeply wrong with our educational and political systems), which might turn some of those same high schoolers off to the book. Deresiweicz has a fairly even hand when it comes to dishing out criticism to politicians about the state of things, though, which I found refreshing. On the other hand, there is a bit of the 'in the good old days' that seems to come through here and there, with pre-Nixon presidents (some of them at least) having pride of place in a list of people who did right by American education.
Overall, I think this is an important book to use as a jumping-off point for further reading, discussion, and above all, thinking about the present and future of American education.
Overall, I think this is an important book to use as a jumping-off point for further reading, discussion, and above all, thinking about the present and future of American education.
cmloia's review against another edition
Disclaimer: I definitely dozed off a few times while trying to get through this before my Libby checkout period ended today, so I'm not gonna give it an official star rating, but my unofficial hovers between a 2 and 3.
Most of the book didn't feel like anything I didn't already know, though I suppose if you think our elite universities in the U.S. are a meritocracy and equalizer, you may benefit from a listen.
There were some good points made throughout, such as the transition to a customer service model in education and the way that graduation rates affect school rankings, which in turn disincentives real grading.
However, Deresiewicz also attempts to make the argument that universities used to do a better job of creating class equality...back when access to universities for anyone who wasn't a white male was not easily accessible.
***quotes***
"True self-esteem means not caring whether you get an A in the first place. It means recognizing, despite all you've been trained to believe, that the grades you get do not define your value as a human being. It means deciding for yourself what constitutes your success." (3:05:29)
Most of the book didn't feel like anything I didn't already know, though I suppose if you think our elite universities in the U.S. are a meritocracy and equalizer, you may benefit from a listen.
There were some good points made throughout, such as the transition to a customer service model in education and the way that graduation rates affect school rankings, which in turn disincentives real grading.
However, Deresiewicz also attempts to make the argument that universities used to do a better job of creating class equality...back when access to universities for anyone who wasn't a white male was not easily accessible.
***quotes***
"True self-esteem means not caring whether you get an A in the first place. It means recognizing, despite all you've been trained to believe, that the grades you get do not define your value as a human being. It means deciding for yourself what constitutes your success." (3:05:29)
justkeepswimming24's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.25
kelseferr's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
Possibly the most accurate and undeniable condemnation of American education that I’ve encountered. Thoughtful and without any hesitation to cut through the bullshit, Deresiewicz wrote a total mic drop of a book. It left me impassioned and disillusioned at the same time. I’m left disgusted by the ridiculous theatrics of elite eduction, yet it’s not because he opened my eyes to something I had no ideas about already. In a sense so much of what he said I already knew, but he gave me a stern talking to finally stop and stare it in the face. I appreciate how thoroughly he described all dimensions of this stupid system because through this you cannot deny how absurdist education has become. I always thought I rolled my eyes at Harvard grads, but now I roll my eyes even more. Literally thank you to this author for smacking all vestiges of “meritocracy” out of my head. One of the most important books I’ve read recently. A non narrative nonfiction book that kept me up late reading as if it were a thriller. I genuinely feel like this book by this author is my first experience with a fully honest person.