Book Reviews
University practices, innovations, and controversies make for great books. The following articles explore the latest in book-length higher-ed commentary, identifying what’s worth reading, what isn’t, and everything in between.
How Was the American Mind Poisoned?
In 1987, Allan Bloom warned about The Closing of the American Mind. In 2018, Jonathan Haidt and Greg Lukianoff warned about The Coddling of the American Mind. And now Lawrence…
“Equality” Won’t Win Like This
I reveal here that I have finally read a likable DEI book, one that I found so because—beyond any doubt whatever—this book will infuriate the DEI faithful. Make no mistake,…
A Much-Needed Exposé of Academic Fraud
Should we trust the research published by professors? The scholars who write books and papers have impressive degrees and teach at respected universities, and their work has to undergo rigorous…
How English Departments Became Broken
If you really want to understand the horrors of war, don’t just read accounts written years after a battle, but instead read first-hand accounts by soldiers who were on the…
The Growing Problem of Authoritarians in the Academy
Most Americans firmly believe that educational institutions should be places where all ideas can be discussed and no one need fear reprisal for saying the wrong thing or pursuing the…
The Weak Case for Unrestrained Academic Freedom
Debates about the shape and limits of academic freedom are virtually constant in institutions of higher education, but they have recently become a matter of widespread discussion in the general…
How Strong Is the Ivy League Curriculum?
We hear over and over that the eight universities comprising the Ivy League are elite institutions. They train our future leaders and do so much to advance knowledge. That’s what…
The Diversity Game Is a Gigantic Con
In his famous story “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” Hans Christian Andersen imagines a situation where everyone fears to speak the truth about an obvious falsehood, namely that the emperor’s supposedly…
Why Does American Higher Education Work So Poorly?
After enjoying many decades of high public support, higher education in the U.S. is in serious decline. Polls show that a sizeable percentage of the populace now doubts that college…
Universities’ Stalinesque Procedures Are Silencing Unpopular Professors
At one time, most Americans (and virtually all academics) would have agreed with the famous saying, often attributed to Voltaire, “While I disagree with what you say, I will defend…