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A review by jeanwatts
The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us by Paul Tough
challenging
informative
slow-paced
4.25
I really enjoyed this work of nonfiction! It really presented the argument that college is no longer a way to get a leg up but instead a necessity to survive in America, but the problem is that college is increasingly impossible to access for people that are not rich and white. This argument was super compelling and well researched, full of stories and data and real life experiences and examples. If you want to learn about the college world in America, focused on 2010-2020, this is the perfect read.
There is not much more I want to say. I could rant until I am blue in the face, but this book does it for you. In fact, you will leave this book sad, angry, and wanting to change the American system. Yet, you will also leave feeling...understood. If you are connected to academia or have been since 2000, you will feel understood. Someone proved what everyone has been talking about for years.
That being said, there are two final quotes I want to highlight. College in America has become "a cultural marker, a signifier we use to divide us from them." This summarizes the book. College is no longer seen as a hope and a way to better yourself, an investment in you and your community, but instead a way to group people and stick people in certain roles. If you are interested in race, gender, family life, and wealth and how that impacts the high school and college experience, then please read this book!
The second quote is "the basic reason that communities and nations establish education systems is to help their young people accumulate the skills they need to succeed in life." The problem with America is that we do not treat college this way. We treat it as a competition, as a life journey you must take alone, as a 'you problem.' This work displays this issue excellently. Sure, competition is a smart thing to have (and will be around in America because, duh, capitalism). There is such a thing as too much competition, though, and that is what is happening here. Not enough support, too much competition, and the belief that this is not an us issue but a student issue.
Seriously, a great read looking at education in America. Do not read if you do not want to feel a range of emotions, though. Because it put me through it all. Jeez. Anger and sadness and frustration and drive to make a change. Such a good book.
There is not much more I want to say. I could rant until I am blue in the face, but this book does it for you. In fact, you will leave this book sad, angry, and wanting to change the American system. Yet, you will also leave feeling...understood. If you are connected to academia or have been since 2000, you will feel understood. Someone proved what everyone has been talking about for years.
That being said, there are two final quotes I want to highlight. College in America has become "a cultural marker, a signifier we use to divide us from them." This summarizes the book. College is no longer seen as a hope and a way to better yourself, an investment in you and your community, but instead a way to group people and stick people in certain roles. If you are interested in race, gender, family life, and wealth and how that impacts the high school and college experience, then please read this book!
The second quote is "the basic reason that communities and nations establish education systems is to help their young people accumulate the skills they need to succeed in life." The problem with America is that we do not treat college this way. We treat it as a competition, as a life journey you must take alone, as a 'you problem.' This work displays this issue excellently. Sure, competition is a smart thing to have (and will be around in America because, duh, capitalism). There is such a thing as too much competition, though, and that is what is happening here. Not enough support, too much competition, and the belief that this is not an us issue but a student issue.
Seriously, a great read looking at education in America. Do not read if you do not want to feel a range of emotions, though. Because it put me through it all. Jeez. Anger and sadness and frustration and drive to make a change. Such a good book.