The Graves of Academe

If you want to know why Johnny not only can't read but also can't think or can't care for anyone but himself, this book will tell you. Richard Mitchell gives us an insiders view of why it is more important to the schools that our children have condoms and know when to use them than that they be able think clearly enough to understand political double-speak and vote intelligently. If you are looking for answers for the entire system, you won't find them here. Mitchell knows all too well that there is absolutely no hope for reform. Although his last line does indicate that he hoped things would change, that line was written nearly 20 years ago and things have only gotten worse. Your child's only hope is for you to read this book and become interested in helping him learn to think for himself.

There is almost nothing so valuable as a book that shows that the emperor is wearing no clothes. In The Graves of Academe, Professor Richard Mitchell performs that feat. His emperor is the American education establishment which incessantly struts and proclaims its importance and dedication to the welfare of children. Mitchell, however, shows it to be a pompous fraud that miseducates children while consuming ever more tax dollars. As college professors will attest and international tests show, American kids are less and less able to do academic work. Mitchell explains why: We have adopted a mandatory system of teacher training that fills the heads of prospective teachers with faddish educational theories but leaves them clueless about actual subjects. Mitchell writes with wit, verve, and unconcealed contempt for the education "professionals" whom he indicts for dumbing down millions of American children. If you'd like to know why so many young people can't make change for a dollar or struggle to read the comics, this is the book for you.

This is by far one of the most important books written this century. It goes into detail about not only what is wrong with "education" in this country, but also what the causes are, and who is responsible. It is usually quoted in contemporary books on American education (e.g., _Dumbing Down Our Kids_ by Charles J. Sykes) because it is, simply, just that good. I first came across this book in a college library; someone had begun to underline all the sentences in which Mitchell made a good point, and had to stop, because they were underlining virtually every word. Not only is the content a wondrous gift, but the style brilliantly exemplifies economy, biting wit, and a high level of information density. If only all books were this good!