After the Ivory Tower Falls: How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics—and How to Fix It
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- Create Date：2022-07-30 15:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Will Bunch
- ISBN：0063076993
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Summary
From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Will Bunch， the epic untold story of college—the great political and cultural fault line of American life
"This book is simply terrific。" —Heather Cox Richardson， publisher of the "Letters from an American" Substack
"A must-read。" —Nancy MacLean， author of Democracy in Chains
Today there are two Americas， separate and unequal， one educated and one not。 And these two tribes—the resentful “non-college” crowd and their diploma-bearing yet increasingly disillusioned adversaries—seem on the brink of a civil war。 The strongest determinant of whether a voter was likely to support Donald Trump in 2016 was whether or not they attended college， and the degree of loathing they reported feeling toward the so-called “knowledge economy of clustered， educated elites。 Somewhere in the winding last half-century of the United States， the quest for a college diploma devolved from being proof of America’s commitment to learning， science， and social mobility into a kind of Hunger Games contest to the death。 That quest has infuriated both the millions who got shut out and millions who got into deep debt to stay afloat。
In After the Ivory Tower Falls， 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 21st century 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。
"This book is simply terrific。" —Heather Cox Richardson， publisher of the "Letters from an American" Substack
"A must-read。" —Nancy MacLean， author of Democracy in Chains
Today there are two Americas， separate and unequal， one educated and one not。 And these two tribes—the resentful “non-college” crowd and their diploma-bearing yet increasingly disillusioned adversaries—seem on the brink of a civil war。 The strongest determinant of whether a voter was likely to support Donald Trump in 2016 was whether or not they attended college， and the degree of loathing they reported feeling toward the so-called “knowledge economy of clustered， educated elites。 Somewhere in the winding last half-century of the United States， the quest for a college diploma devolved from being proof of America’s commitment to learning， science， and social mobility into a kind of Hunger Games contest to the death。 That quest has infuriated both the millions who got shut out and millions who got into deep debt to stay afloat。
In After the Ivory Tower Falls， 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 21st century 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。
Reviews
Jack Reidy
，
I never really understood the division in our country that political analysts said was between college graduates and non-graduates。 It seemed to be real， yet made no sense to me。 I know people on both sides of that divide and they did not seem all that different to me。But there are many issues。 Several are discussed。 The cost of college is a big one and much of the book is about that。Before World War 2， a college education was pretty much limited to the upper classes who could afford it。 After W I never really understood the division in our country that political analysts said was between college graduates and non-graduates。 It seemed to be real， yet made no sense to me。 I know people on both sides of that divide and they did not seem all that different to me。But there are many issues。 Several are discussed。 The cost of college is a big one and much of the book is about that。Before World War 2， a college education was pretty much limited to the upper classes who could afford it。 After World War 2 higher education became much more common。 The GI Bill paid for the education of many returning soldiers。 Government investment continued though the turbulent sixties and tuition was still affordable for many of the middle class。I graduated from Rutgers in 1972 and believe my tuition was $400 per year。Fast forward to today or any recent year。 Tuition may be closer to 30 thousand per year and living expenses many thousands more。 To make thing worse， there are often loans （not grants） to cover those hefty expenses。So if you are from a family of modest means， your choices are skipping college and bypassing many job opportunities or completing college and having more job opportunities but also having massive debt。 I over simplify a bit but that choice can be a source of resentment and anger。So how did we get here？ College was once for the few， then became a good for many， and is now a source of resentment and political division。Will Bunch’s well-researched and well written book examines that question in depth。 And discusses some possible solutions。 His journalistic skills serve him well in presenting what could be a rather dry recitation of facts as a fascinating story。The book is scheduled for an August 2 publication。 I thank Netgalley for the chance to read it before publication。 。。。more
Sara Broad
，
"After the Ivory Tower Falls" is the history of higher education in the United States and how it became a polarizing， overwhelmingly expensive facet of our society。 This book taught me how the dream of free or reduced cost higher education used to be a reality until politicians purposefully withheld funds and started charging fees since the liberal， intellectual cultures on campus were a threat to rampant capitalism。 Even though a college degree no longer promises a career whose wages pay an amo "After the Ivory Tower Falls" is the history of higher education in the United States and how it became a polarizing， overwhelmingly expensive facet of our society。 This book taught me how the dream of free or reduced cost higher education used to be a reality until politicians purposefully withheld funds and started charging fees since the liberal， intellectual cultures on campus were a threat to rampant capitalism。 Even though a college degree no longer promises a career whose wages pay an amount that can keep up with rising costs， it is one of the most defining features of the political party one chooses。 The rising cost of college has left an entire segment of the American population feeling left behind， left out， and drawn to anti-intellectual public figures who stoke the flames with conservative rhetoric。 Rush Limbaugh is one of the most well-known figures who rose to fame as the cost of college started to spiral out of control， and his rose is representative of the fissure in American society between who has a college degree and who does not。 This was an eye-opening， well-written read by one of Philadelphia's most famous journalists。 I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Andi
，
"The truth is that the United States of America has always had the money。 The real problem has been our increasingly warped priorities。" A truer statement may not ever have been said！This one is a hard one for me to review。 I feel I'm definitely one of the "left behind"s。 I feel like the author may feel a little superior to my "class"。 That's where the hard comes in。 I do have a logical brain in my head even though I've never stuck with formal education。This is a very well written book。 The hist "The truth is that the United States of America has always had the money。 The real problem has been our increasingly warped priorities。" A truer statement may not ever have been said！This one is a hard one for me to review。 I feel I'm definitely one of the "left behind"s。 I feel like the author may feel a little superior to my "class"。 That's where the hard comes in。 I do have a logical brain in my head even though I've never stuck with formal education。This is a very well written book。 The history is interesting to me。 The various people interviewed and their personal opinions also interested me。 There's a lot I agreed with in this book。 I think national service is a very compelling idea that could do amazing things for our nation。 Who sets the priorities for where the "moral" aspect lies though？ Who decides what those youngsters are taught during their service？ If this had been a news article， I would complain the author did not stay neutral enough。 Being it's a book， he has every right to flavor it with his politics （and they DEFINITELY popped through in a few places。）If you're looking for some interesting context for the state of college today in our nation， this very well could be the book for you。 It does have good insights and possible "solutions"。 If you love Trump more than anything in the world， be warned this book will probably ruffle a few feathers。 The author in general does a good job with neutrality （he thoroughly interviewed all sides） but his opinions in politics （and COVID） do pop out in a few places。 Overall？ A decent read if you're into knowledge genre books。 。。。more
Michael Hassel Shearer
，
After The Ivory Tower Falls by Will Bunch I am through college as are my three children now debt free。 But still， I found this a very informative and well written book。 Mr。 Bunch’s journalism background I believe comes through and supports his efforts to provide facts but more importantly in a way that is a pleasure to read。 The book explains how college education went from only for and needed by the “elite”， to the democratic expansion of college education after WW II through the GI Bill。 He do After The Ivory Tower Falls by Will Bunch I am through college as are my three children now debt free。 But still， I found this a very informative and well written book。 Mr。 Bunch’s journalism background I believe comes through and supports his efforts to provide facts but more importantly in a way that is a pleasure to read。 The book explains how college education went from only for and needed by the “elite”， to the democratic expansion of college education after WW II through the GI Bill。 He does note that this was not available for African American soldiers。 He then describes how the cost for a college education has risen to such high levels it is now almost like a casino game。 If you pay this expense， will you generate enough income to pay on the debt incurred。 And sadly， many can’t。 So， there is a very interesting discussion on the recent debate on debt forgiveness with both the pro’s and con’s。 But the most thought-provoking discussion he makes is regarding how states are reducing their investment in public universities shifting the burden even more so to the students and their families。 Mr。 Bunch hints but it made me think he might be correct that we are also seeing many Red States cut funding since college educated people do not vote Republican。 This is a horrible thought to consider but may have some truth。 All in all， I think this is an excellent book to read for those pondering college as well as those of us who have paid for the privilege。 。。。more
Michael
，
An excellent look at the college system beginning after WWII to present。 This book is insightful and presents information in a well organized and easy to understand manner。 A very eye opening view on how much has changed for the worse。 I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway。
Sharon
，
Good， punchy look at what we did wrong， what we did right and how we ended up here。this was a goodreads giveaway
J Earl
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