A reasoned, balanced argument for a return to “classical education” as a foundation for remaking American civic virtue.
Classics to the rescue.
Schooling in America has been the cradle of democracy. With culture wars fought in the classroom and the school board, though, education has become suspect. This book by journalist and author Traub (True Believer: Hubert Humphrey’s Quest for a More Just America) lays out a plan to return the schoolroom to being a place where students can trust in knowing something. It advocates restoring “great books and the conscious molding of character.” It wishes “to escape the steel cage of our culture wars, to find our way to a deeper and less ideological connection to our history and ideals.” Through a series of historical and contemporary case studies, the book traces possible maps for finding that connection. “Classical education,” Traub writes, has a “goal of human development.” Education is “a form of training—above all, in reason—that makes the good life possible.” Thus, historians such as Howard Zinn and curricula such as the 1619 Project come in for critique. But Traub is no knee-jerk conservative. He praises the musical Hamilton for its complexity and provocation—the kind of artistic work that can stimulate “civic projects to draw on students’ idealistic wish to make their world better.” He chastises those leaders on the right who would rewrite curricula to patriotic ends. He wants, instead, curricula that are “narrow but deep”—strong on enduring works, light on personal electives. He invokes the Founding Fathers who, he says, “believed, like the classical writers they so admired, that a republic ultimately rests on the virtue of its citizens. We no longer think that way.” He wants parents to “seek out schools that have an overtly communitarian or ethical culture.” This may seem an old-fashioned vision. But the book stands out for its balance, generosity, and hope.
A reasoned, balanced argument for a return to “classical education” as a foundation for remaking American civic virtue.Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781324079514
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Norton
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.
A former NFL player casts his gimlet eye on American race relations.
In his first book, Acho, an analyst for Fox Sports who grew up in Dallas as the son of Nigerian immigrants, addresses White readers who have sent him questions about Black history and culture. “My childhood,” he writes, “was one big study abroad in white culture—followed by studying abroad in black culture during college and then during my years in the NFL, which I spent on teams with 80-90 percent black players, each of whom had his own experience of being a person of color in America. Now, I’m fluent in both cultures: black and white.” While the author avoids condescending to readers who already acknowledge their White privilege or understand why it’s unacceptable to use the N-word, he’s also attuned to the sensitive nature of the topic. As such, he has created “a place where questions you may have been afraid to ask get answered.” Acho has a deft touch and a historian’s knack for marshaling facts. He packs a lot into his concise narrative, from an incisive historical breakdown of American racial unrest and violence to the ways of cultural appropriation: Your friend respecting and appreciating Black arts and culture? OK. Kim Kardashian showing off her braids and attributing her sense of style to Bo Derek? Not so much. Within larger chapters, the text, which originated with the author’s online video series with the same title, is neatly organized under helpful headings: “Let’s rewind,” “Let’s get uncomfortable,” “Talk it, walk it.” Acho can be funny, but that’s not his goal—nor is he pedaling gotcha zingers or pleas for headlines. The author delivers exactly what he promises in the title, tackling difficult topics with the depth of an engaged cultural thinker and the style of an experienced wordsmith. Throughout, Acho is a friendly guide, seeking to sow understanding even if it means risking just a little discord.
This guide to Black culture for White people is accessible but rarely easy.Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-80046-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The sub-title of this book is "Reflections on Education with Special Reference to the Teaching of English in the Upper Forms of Schools." But one finds in it little about education, and less about the teaching of English. Nor is this volume a defense of the Christian faith similar to other books from the pen of C. S. Lewis. The three lectures comprising the book are rather rambling talks about life and literature and philosophy. Those who have come to expect from Lewis penetrating satire and a subtle sense of humor, used to buttress a real Christian faith, will be disappointed.
Pub Date: April 8, 1947
ISBN: 1609421477
Page Count: -
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1947
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