Bøker av Paul Tough

'Indelible and extraordinary, a powerful reckoning with just how far we've allowed reality to drift from our ideals.' Tara Westover, New York Times Book ReviewWe're told that universities are our greatest driver of social mobility. But it's a lie.The Inequality Machine is a damning exposé of how the university system ingrains injustice at every level of American society.Paul Tough, bestselling author of How Children Succeed, exposes a world where small-town colleges go bust, while the most prestigious raise billions every year; where overstretched admissions officers are forced to pick rich candidates over smart ones; where black and working-class students are left to sink or swim on uncaring campuses. Along the way, he uncovers cutting-edge research from the academics leading the way to a new kind of university - one where students succeed not because of their background, but because of the quality of their minds.The result is a call-to-arms for universities that work for everyone, and a manual for how we can make it happen.'Humanizes the process of higher education . . . Fascinating stories about efforts to remediate class disparities in higher education' New Yorker

A foremost The New Yorker andNew York Timesjournalist reversesthree decades of thinking aboutwhat creates successfulchildren, solving the mysteries of why some succeed and others fail and of how to move individual children toward their full potential for success.

First published as The Years That Matter MostFrom best-selling author Paul Tough, an indelible and explosive book on the glaring injustices of higher education, including unfair admissions tests, entrenched racial barriers, and crushing student debt. Now updated and expanded for the pandemic era. When higher education works the way it’s supposed to, there is no better tool for social mobility—for lifting young people out of challenging circumstances and into the middle class and beyond. In reality, though, American colleges and universities have become the ultimate tool of social immobility—a system that secures a comfortable future for the children of the wealthy while throwing roadblocks in the way of students from struggling families.   Combining vivid and powerful personal stories with deep, authoritative reporting, Paul Tough explains how we got into this mess and explores the innovative reforms that might get us out. Tough examines the systemic racism that pervades American higher education, shows exactly how the SATs give an unfair advantage to wealthy students, and guides readers from Ivy League seminar rooms to the welding shop at a rural community college. At every stop, he introduces us to young Americans yearning for a better life—and praying that a college education might help them get there.   With a new preface and afterword by the author exposing how the coronavirus pandemic has shaken the higher education system anew.​

But he wasn't told he'd end up barely scraping a living wage, struggling to feed his children. Drawing on the stories of hundreds of American students, The Years That Matters Most is a revelatory account of a university system in crisis.

In a world where academic success can seem all-important in deciding our children's success in adult life, the author sees things very differently. This book offers a clarion call to parents who are seeking to unlock their child's true potential - and ensure they really succeed.