Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Ben Sasse is not a typical politician, and he says explicitly that this is not a policy book. He is not telling you how he is going to take care of you. There is no plan to save the world. He describes the many, many ills of our education system with the knowledgeable perspective of the son and husband of teachers - and tells you he is home schooling his children. This book consists of his observations on how to raise successful children. He cites other authors who have given the issue some thought. These include Rousseau and John Dewey, with whom he often disagrees, and Diane Ravitch and John Gatto writing about public schools. He is an educated man who wants the best for his children. Sasse is a US Senator. He envisions that the problems he identifies must be resolved within the polity that is the United States. Hirschmann wrote in 1970 that there are three choices when one is confronted with a difficult problem: Exit, Voice, and Loyalty. Sasse addresses the second of them – he assumes the problems are fixable. Unlike most politicians, he sees that the people must be an active part of the solution. It cannot be imposed from above. Sociologists identify many markers associated with becoming an adult. Eight big ones are: 1. Moving from parents’ home 2. Leaving school for the final time 3. Getting a full-time job 4. Reaching economic self-sufficiency 5. Loss of virginity 6. Getting married 7. Having children 8. Establishing an independent household These passages provide structure to life. They used to happen systematically, and in a somewhat predictable order. For millennials (1980-95, per Sasse) and Gen Z this is no longer the case. As President of Midland University Sasse noted an unwillingness to engage in and to finish jobs, an unwillingness to think things through, and an unwillingness to grapple with things as an adult. Unless we can turn these trends around, there is nothing that can be done at a policy level to restore the country. Sasse's book is primarily addressed to parents: how to raise children to become real adults. His book (outline below) is divided into two parts: identifying the problem and suggesting things that individuals can do to address it within their own families. Introduction: My Kids “Need” Air Conditioning Part I Our Passivity Problem ----One: Stranded in Neverland ----Two: From Little Citizens to Baby Einsteins ----Three: More School Isn’t Enough Part II An Active Program ----Four: Flee Age Segregation ----Five: Embrace Work Pain ----Six: Consume Less ----Seven: Travel to See ----Eight: Build a Bookshelf ----Nine: Make America an Idea Again Postscript: Why This Wasn’t a Policy Book Sasse is uniquely well prepared to write on these themes. Son of a churchgoing high school wrestling coach, fourth generation in the small town of Fremont, Nebraska, he worked on farms as a kid. His drive and intellect powered him through five academic degrees, including Harvard and Yale, a career in consulting and (at age 37) a university presidency. He married a fellow Christian and has two teenage daughters and a kindergarten aged son. This is an outstanding book. My extensive reading notes appear as comments.