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A review by bootman
The Inequality Machine: How College Divides Us by Paul Tough
5.0
This is hands down the best book I’ve read about the issues of inequality when it comes to higher education. I hate how good this book is because it points out what we all know is true but often refuse to talk about. Paul Tough has done years of research for this book by collecting data and actually interviewing low-income kids who are being left behind by the way higher education is set up.
This book covers so many topics about how low-achieving, high-income kids are much more likely to get into good schools and succeed compared to high-achieving, low-income kids. As you listen to some of the stories of these low-income kids who work their asses off, your heart will break for them as you learn how they’re fighting this losing battle despite being told they can just “work hard” to get out of their situation.
I don’t even have time to discuss everything in this book, but I’ll end with saying that Paul Tough does an excellent job explaining how colleges fudge their numbers to make it appear like they’re diverse with their admissions. There are many systemic issues perpetuating these issues, and I don’t know when or if they’ll ever get fixed. But this book does a great job explaining how the Obama administration was close to resolving this issue and then just kind of abandoned it for no good reason.
This book covers so many topics about how low-achieving, high-income kids are much more likely to get into good schools and succeed compared to high-achieving, low-income kids. As you listen to some of the stories of these low-income kids who work their asses off, your heart will break for them as you learn how they’re fighting this losing battle despite being told they can just “work hard” to get out of their situation.
I don’t even have time to discuss everything in this book, but I’ll end with saying that Paul Tough does an excellent job explaining how colleges fudge their numbers to make it appear like they’re diverse with their admissions. There are many systemic issues perpetuating these issues, and I don’t know when or if they’ll ever get fixed. But this book does a great job explaining how the Obama administration was close to resolving this issue and then just kind of abandoned it for no good reason.