The best 11 Higher Education books

1
Late Bloomers

Late Bloomers

Rich Karlgaard
The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement
4.6 (249 ratings)

What's Late Bloomers about?

Late Bloomers (2019) explores why modern society is obsessed with early achievement. It explains the damaging effects a super-charged education can have on young people’s mental health, as well as how our family, our peers, and the media influence the life paths we take. Drawing on his own experiences, author Rich Karlgaard suggests that blooming later in life is not something to be ashamed of, but something to be celebrated instead.

Who should read Late Bloomers?

  • Anyone feeling stuck in their life and career
  • Parents concerned about the pace of their children’s development
  • Graduates unsure about what to do next

2
The Coddling of the American Mind

The Coddling of the American Mind

Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure
4.4 (212 ratings)

What's The Coddling of the American Mind about?

The Coddling of the American Mind (2018) seeks to go behind the scandalized reporting and to establish what’s really happening on US college campuses. Drawing on psychological theory and wide-ranging research, The Coddling of the American Mind demonstrates that university life has taken a worrying turn.

Who should read The Coddling of the American Mind?

  • Baffled readers trying to understand campus politics
  • Parents of college-aged kids
  • Citizens concerned about accelerating political polarization

3
The Price You Pay for College

The Price You Pay for College

Ron Lieber
An Entirely New Road Map for the Biggest Financial Decision Your Family Will Ever Make
4.4 (31 ratings)

What's The Price You Pay for College about?

The Price You Pay for College (2021) is a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about choosing a college and financing your education. Exploring mentorship, financial aid, and graduate salaries, it clarifies an often confusing world, aiming to ensure that students’ momentous decisions are informed ones.

Who should read The Price You Pay for College?

  • Parents with college-bound kids
  • High school students interested in the college-application process
  • Personal-finance buffs looking to brush up on a new niche

4
The Death of Expertise

The Death of Expertise

Tom Nichols
The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters
4.2 (52 ratings)

What's The Death of Expertise about?

The Death of Expertise (2017) examines the current attacks on science and knowledge that seem to be on the rise in our current technological and political environment. What has happened to objective truths being the truth and facts being indisputable? Why is science now a matter of political partisanship? Find out what’s really going on and why this is one of the most important issues of our day.

Who should read The Death of Expertise?

  • Citizens looking for facts rather than political rhetoric
  • Readers concerned about fake news and misinformation
  • Students of political science and communications

5
Don’t Go Back to School

Don’t Go Back to School

Kio Stark
A Handbook for Learning Anything
3.7 (60 ratings)

What's Don’t Go Back to School about?

Don’t Go Back to School shows how not having a degree doesn’t doom you to an unsuccessful life. In fact, quite the contrary: chalked full of real-life examples, this book presents a strong case for independent learning as well as principles you can immediately enact to make independent learning a part of your life.

Who should read Don’t Go Back to School?

  • Anyone interested in learning outside of school
  • Anyone who wants to improve his or her knowledge and skills without breaking the bank
  • Anyone on the fence about whether to spend the money to go to college or university

6
Post Corona

Post Corona

Scott Galloway
From Crisis to Opportunity
4.0 (99 ratings)

What's Post Corona about?

Post Corona (2020) is a ruthless analysis of how the COVID-19 outbreak has reshaped our world. This survey of the post-pandemic business landscape shows who’s benefited and who’s been harmed by the virus.

Who should read Post Corona?

  • Investors looking for solid financial advice
  • Entrepreneurs navigating the newly unstable business environment
  • Anyone trying to understand the post-pandemic world

7
U Thrive

U Thrive

Daniel Lerner and Alan Schlechter
How to Succeed in College (and Life)
4.3 (24 ratings)

What's U Thrive about?

U Thrive (2017) provides the tools necessary to thrive on a college campus and beyond. Informative and actionable in equal parts, these blinks provide great insights and offer helpful advice on everything from alleviating stress during final exams to surviving nightmarish dorm mates.

Who should read U Thrive?

  • College students
  • Recent high school grads
  • Parents of prospective university students

8
Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?

Beverly Daniel Tatum
And Other Conversations About Race
4.5 (62 ratings)

What's Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? about?

Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? (1997) explores the reality of race in the American public education system and sheds light on racial-identity development in both Black and white people. Updated with a new prologue in 2017, it also explains how talking openly about racism is essential for cutting across racial and ethnic divides.

Who should read Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria??

  • People seeking to understand the dynamics of race in America
  • Parents and educators who want to teach children about race
  • Those interested in social justice, equal opportunity, and democracy

9
Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be

Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be

Frank Bruni
An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania
4.3 (39 ratings)

What's Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be about?

Where You Go Is Not Who You’ll Be (2015) casts a critical eye over the mania surrounding the college admissions process in the United States. For decades, students and parents have become increasingly convinced that future success is dependent upon landing a spot at the most prestigious schools, while colleges have become engaged in their own competition for a spot at the top of the school rankings. Bruni argues that this has led to an out-of-control system that has caused people to lose sight of the real benefits of higher education.

Who should read Where You Go Is Not Who You'll Be?

  • Prospective college students
  • Scholars who care about the state of higher education
  • Parents who want their kids to flourish in college

10
The End of College

The End of College

Kevin Carey
Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere
4.3 (27 ratings)

What's The End of College about?

The End of College (2015) is about the American higher education system. These blinks give a historical overview of how the author sees the development of the American university and its evolution from European models. He evaluates its current status and advocates for the University of Everywhere – a remotely accessible university of the future.

Who should read The End of College?

  • Students of public policy and education policy
  • People curious about online learning
  • Historians interested in higher education

11
Empire of Illusion

Empire of Illusion

Chris Hedges
The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
4.3 (24 ratings)

What's Empire of Illusion about?

Empire of Illusion (2010) offers a close examination of declining literacy levels in the United States, and the disastrous effects that this educational catastrophe is having on the country. These blinks will explain how TV is pacifying the US citizenry, how corporate power has taken over the country and what this means for the future.

Who should read Empire of Illusion?

  • Anyone interested in US history, politics or economics
  • Educators, policymakers and students
  • Concerned citizens interested in the decline of American academia, culture and national unity

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