After the ivory tower falls : how college broke the American dream and blew up our politics-- and how to fix it
(Book)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Award-winning journalist Will Bunch embarks on a deeply reported journey to the heart of the American Dream. That journey begins in Gambier, Ohio, home to affluent, liberal Kenyon College, a tiny speck of Democratic blue amidst the vast red swath of white, post-industrial, rural midwestern America. To understand "the college question, "there is no better entry point than Gambier, where a world-class institution caters to elite students amidst a sea of economic despair.From there, Bunch traces the history of college in the U.S., beginning with the first technical schools, through the landmark GI Bill, and the culture wars of the 60's and 70's, which found their start on college campuses. We see how resentment of college-educated elites morphed into a rejection of knowledge itself--and how the explosion in student loan debt fueled major social movements like Occupy Wall Street. Bunch then takes a question we need to ask all over again--what, and who, is college even for?--and pushes it into the 21stcentury by proposing a new model that works for all Americans.The sum total is a stunning work of journalism, one that lays bare the root of our political, cultural, and economic division--and charts a path forward for America.