A review by tometrinket
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt

informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

There was an example given regarding peanuts at the beginning of the book that I think sums up the whole book quite well. It's about peanut allergies and how some American elementary schools banned peanuts in their entire schools because a few percent of kids have a deadly allergy. And not just peanuts, but anything that might contain a trace amount of peanuts (like things made in the same factory). As a result, the number of kids who have the allergy rose sharply in recent years. Some of them might have not developed the allergy if they were exposed to a minimal amount of it.  It's the "kids becoming allergic to dirt cos they weren't allowed to play outside and get dirty ever" all over again.

'The Coddling of the American Mind' goes into quite a bit of detail with the help of tons of examples how society and the new generation changed the way universities work and while the book can be a bit repetitive, it was all very fascinating. And also worrying. Even if I'm not part of Gen Z, I learned some things in this and I think it's useful for everyone to keep the Three Great Untruths in mind while navigating in our complicated world:

"What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker"
"Always trust your feelings"
"Life is a battle between good people and evil people"

I definitely feel more zen after reading this. And also have more productive conversations without falling into the traps of these untruths. I warmly recommend this book for everyone, even if you aren't American.