Academy X
By Andrew Trees ISBN: 9781596911772Trees got himself fired from Horace Mann School for writing this satiric novel. Take it with a grain of salt but I think it is worth a read.
Black Ice
Read Lorene's book about her experiences as one of the first black students in a tony, old line Episcopal boarding school. Then fast forward to 2008 when an African American is running for President of the United States. When I first read the book back in 1999, it was just a narrative, mind you a well-written narrative, to me. Lorene's experiences resonate with a different note nowadays.
Casualties of Privilege: Essays on Prep Schools' Hidden Culture
By Louis Crosier ISBN-13: 978-0962767104While a certain amount of adolescent experimentation will always be a part of any private school culture, the stringent codes of conduct in place at most schools today make the stories in this book an interesting artifact.
The Catcher In The Rye
ISBN-13: 978-0316769174J.D. Salinger's 1951 novel is a must read. It is a true American classic.
Facing The Lion: Growing Up Maasai on the African Savanna
"Lekuton grew up in Kenya's poorest tribe, herding cows and playing in trees and hyena holes before he entered a missionary boarding school and went to college in the U.S. Now he teaches in Virginia, but he has never lost his Maasai roots, and he returns home to help his people several months a year."Glamorous Disasters
Chicago native Eliot Schrefer's first novel recounts the exploits of the Upper East Side clients of a young SAT tutor.The Harry Potter Stories
By J.K Rowling ISBN: 9780545044257These world famous stories about life and adventures at Hogwarts are the stuff of this generation's popular culture. American private schools are not, nor were they ever, like Hogwarts. But you do get the flavor of old style English public schools, their arcane and sometimes arcane traditions and customs.
Lessons From Privilege
Arthur Powell's credentials as a historian enable him to write convincingly about private schools. He contrasts private and public schools explaining why the sense of community which private schools have is a good thing.Prep
By Curtis Sittenfeld. ISBN-13: 978-0812972351Ms. Sittenfeld's description of The Ault School reminded me of my daughters' comments. Both girls were a bit overwhelmed by the serious wealth some of their classmates had in the schools they attended. It's a fast read and easy to see why it was a Top Ten of 2005 NY Times choice.
A Separate Peace
John Knowles most famous work chronicles the life and times of boys at Exeter during World War II. It is in many ways the quintessential coming of age novel.Saving Miss Oliver's
By Stephen Davenport ISBN: 9780976925521 How one brings about change in any institution is the stuff of every day life. Saving Miss Oliver's chronicles the tension and minor drama inherent in any school's moving with the times. If you ever taught at a private school or sat on a board of trustees, you will chuckle at the petty politics involved and how they literally can cost a headmaster his job.This highly readable novel gets a grade of A.
