Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School
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- Create Date：2022-01-27 22:16:03
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Kendra James
- ISBN：1538753480
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Summary
A sharp-witted and deeply insightful look into the storied world of elite prep schools from the first African-American legacy student to graduate from The Taft School。
Early on in Kendra James’ professional life， she began to feel like she was selling a lie。 As an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment for independent prep schools， she persuaded students and families to embark on the same perilous journey she herself had made—to attend cutthroat and largely white schools similar to The Taft School， where she had been the first African-American legacy student only a few years earlier。 Her new job forced her to reflect on her own elite education experience， and to realize how disillusioned she had become with America’s inequitable system。
In ADMISSIONS， Kendra looks back at the three years she spent at Taft， chronicling clashes with her lily-white roommate， how she had to unlearn the respectability politics she'd been raised with， and the fall-out from a horrifying article in the student newspaper that accused Black and Latinx students of being responsible for segregation of campus。 Through these stories， some troubling， others hilarious， she deconstructs the lies and half-truths she herself would later tell as an admissions professional， in addition to the myths about boarding schools perpetuated by popular culture。
With its combination of incisive social critique and uproarious depictions of elite nonsense， ADMISSIONS will resonate with anyone who has ever been The Only One in a room， dealt with racial microaggressions， or even just suffered from an extreme case of homesickness。
Early on in Kendra James’ professional life， she began to feel like she was selling a lie。 As an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment for independent prep schools， she persuaded students and families to embark on the same perilous journey she herself had made—to attend cutthroat and largely white schools similar to The Taft School， where she had been the first African-American legacy student only a few years earlier。 Her new job forced her to reflect on her own elite education experience， and to realize how disillusioned she had become with America’s inequitable system。
In ADMISSIONS， Kendra looks back at the three years she spent at Taft， chronicling clashes with her lily-white roommate， how she had to unlearn the respectability politics she'd been raised with， and the fall-out from a horrifying article in the student newspaper that accused Black and Latinx students of being responsible for segregation of campus。 Through these stories， some troubling， others hilarious， she deconstructs the lies and half-truths she herself would later tell as an admissions professional， in addition to the myths about boarding schools perpetuated by popular culture。
With its combination of incisive social critique and uproarious depictions of elite nonsense， ADMISSIONS will resonate with anyone who has ever been The Only One in a room， dealt with racial microaggressions， or even just suffered from an extreme case of homesickness。
Reviews
Kats
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Three and a half
Amy （Bossy Bookworm）
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To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm， or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted， please see Admissions。Kendra James was the first Black legacy to graduate from The Taft School， an elite boarding school in Connecticut。 When she later works as an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment for independent prep schools， she finds herself examining her high school educational experience with a more critical eye， forcing herself to delve To see my full review on The Bossy Bookworm， or to find out about Bossy reviews and Greedy Reading Lists as soon as they're posted， please see Admissions。Kendra James was the first Black legacy to graduate from The Taft School， an elite boarding school in Connecticut。 When she later works as an admissions officer specializing in diversity recruitment for independent prep schools， she finds herself examining her high school educational experience with a more critical eye， forcing herself to delve more deeply into aspects of her years at Taft that she largely glossed over at the time--and ultimately debating whether or not she should be advising families to pursue the same precarious path she herself followed。Digging into the past often seems a difficult undertaking， and as she looks back， Kendra James explains that her main goals when she attended Taft were not bringing to light racial injustice and leading a charge toward change， but typically teenage: to escape into role-playing video games and write fan fiction， to bond with a few classmates through watching favorite movies， and， primarily， to secure a spot in a college of her choice， then to （as is the goal for many high schoolers， for various reasons） get out of high school and get on with the rest of her life。 James notes repeatedly that she felt largely unseen and unknown during her boarding school years。 When she attends various Taft alumni events in the years following her graduation， they cement this same feeling。 Her appearance in a Taft publication that lists her incorrect graduation year （and reunion year） grates on her as more evidence of this。The majority of page time is focused on aspects of James's boarding-school life， including its rhythms and peculiarities。 James received financial aid to attend Taft， then $35，000 a year， and she then attended Oberlin for college， which， by her and her parents' design， was an admissions door likely opened more widely because of her Taft pedigree。 But the book is not in large part about financial or class privilege。At times James laments the absence of frank discussions about race that she might have had with her parents， and she criticizes the lack of information she received from them on the topic。 She wishes she could have learned more from them before entering Taft about the many ways she might have expected race to affect her life--especially considering the vastly white， elite circles her parents had either dipped their toes into or immersed themselves in: for example， Taft， Smith， Brown， and her father's banking job。 The author notes that when she was a high schooler， in that place and time in our society， she didn't have an understanding of the power of daily microaggressions nor of blatant racism--nor did she have the language and perspective she now has to talk about such things--in order to sift through the many disturbing race-based incidents in her young life。 James's evaluation of events of these years--including the racism she experienced at school; diverse， acute instances of disturbing behavior， whether race-based and class- and gender-based; and the social segregation of social groups by race--feels hesitantly explored at times as she attempts to dig into her raw teenage feelings while acknowledging her youthful lack of understanding and her early， unformed grasp of the myriad social， racial， and class issues shaping her experience。 Regarding a situation in which the strict rule-follower James was accused of wrongdoing while at Taft， the author acknowledges that for years she largely glossed over not only the event， but the racial issues bubbling beneath the incident and her resulting emotional trauma， pushing all of this down until her reckoning with it in young adulthood。 Late in the book， James shares select portions of a disturbing article a white student wrote for the school paper while James also attended Taft， in which the article's author largely blames the school's racial divides on the students of color themselves and mentions her discomfort about the existence of programs and events that put people of color at their center。 James expresses anger and frustration at Taft's ineffective response--and at the many missed opportunities she sees before and after that event for the school to have shaped an effective approach to true inclusion。 In Admissions， James offer a book that is partly a social critique， partly a recounting of the absurdities she experienced， and partly simply her unique story of living away from home and often feeling lonely and alone in her experience。I received a prepublication digital edition of this book courtesy of Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley。Find hundreds of reviews and lots of roundups of my favorite books on the blog: Bossy BookwormFollow me on Instagram！ @bossybookwormblogOr Facebook！ The Bossy Bookworm 。。。more
Nora
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I very much enjoyed this memoir of the first African-American "legacy" student at a fancy boarding school。 Written in a breezy and informal style， parts of it are fun and entertaining， especially the descriptions of being a total nerd interested in witchcraft who's surrounded by preppies--and the internet is cut off at 10pm！ But mainly it's a harrowing description of the experience of being one of very few Black students in a fundamentally racist environment。 The saddest part was when （view spoi I very much enjoyed this memoir of the first African-American "legacy" student at a fancy boarding school。 Written in a breezy and informal style， parts of it are fun and entertaining， especially the descriptions of being a total nerd interested in witchcraft who's surrounded by preppies--and the internet is cut off at 10pm！ But mainly it's a harrowing description of the experience of being one of very few Black students in a fundamentally racist environment。 The saddest part was when （view spoiler）[ the author is accused at 15 years old of stealing a $20 bill， and confesses even though she didn't do it because she is so afraid。 It reminded me of Towards Zero by Agatha Christie， except in that novel the girl's father is a police superintendent who can extract her from this situation。 The memoir is also a kind of an advertisement for Oberlin college， as that is where the author ends up going to college and it's presented as so much better。 （hide spoiler）] We also learn a little bit about the author's grown-up life as an admissions officer and how conflicted she felt between wanting to give children of color more opportunities and also wanting them to know the truth about how hard it will be to go to a white-dominated school。 Overall， the story was very thought-provoking and brought up a lot of memories of my private high school， where in 9th grade we had only ten African-American students in the class and by the time I graduated， half of them had been kicked out， left back， or they decided to leave， including all the boys， while white students got an unending stream of "second chances。" For me， this book had a slow start。 I felt I was seeing her first days at Taft boarding school in excruciating detail， with every single person she met there and what they were wearing。 I was a bit apprehensive about the pace of this book and if anything would ever happen。 But then it really got going， so my advice is that this book is really worth it and if you feel bogged down， just skim along for a bit and you will be rewarded。 As soon as I was done， I immediately recommended this book to someone。I gratefully received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
keith harris
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one dimensaioali also went to a selective private school。 it has been around for over 200 years。 fits history surely includes disturbing patterns of discrimination consistent with what was going on far beyond the school’s campus。 a school can and should address racism or any form of discrimination but it can only do so much。 It can’t unteach every belief of any student。 it is likely even less able to protect students against the inherent cruelty of groups of teenagers。 this book expects a school one dimensaioali also went to a selective private school。 it has been around for over 200 years。 fits history surely includes disturbing patterns of discrimination consistent with what was going on far beyond the school’s campus。 a school can and should address racism or any form of discrimination but it can only do so much。 It can’t unteach every belief of any student。 it is likely even less able to protect students against the inherent cruelty of groups of teenagers。 this book expects a school to cure wrongs society as a whole cannot。 also presuming a school did not announce the death of an alumni who killed himself after murdering someone else because the graduate was black is nonsense。 I doubt any elite private school would announce that another any former student regardless of race。 what school wants to take ownership of that person in any manner？ it’s bad for business…。 。。。more
Elsie Birnbaum
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I've been excited about this book since Kendra James announced it on her twitter months ago。 As someone who attended a New England boarding school （albeit one that's more of a feeder for Oberlin than the Ivies）， I'm always interested in honest looks at the student culture since as James' points out books about boarding schools are often inaccurate。 I was not disappointed。 I read this book in the course of six hours。 James' classic wit （I regularly think about her piece about the American Girl Do I've been excited about this book since Kendra James announced it on her twitter months ago。 As someone who attended a New England boarding school （albeit one that's more of a feeder for Oberlin than the Ivies）， I'm always interested in honest looks at the student culture since as James' points out books about boarding schools are often inaccurate。 I was not disappointed。 I read this book in the course of six hours。 James' classic wit （I regularly think about her piece about the American Girl Doll store） makes what could have been a very slow look at three years of high school legitimately a page turner。 God this book cured me of my early 20s high school nostalgia。 It really feels like what it was like to be a student at one of these institutions and I say this as someone who obviously did not experience the racial ostracization and discrimination that is the main focus of the book。 That said her description of honor court and the school's handling of her supposed guilt felt eerily familiar to my own experiences with gender violence in high school。 So too did her description of returning to campus when the buildings are a site of trauma。 I only wish she had talked more about the contradictory feelings of hating the social element of your private school experience and feeling as though the administration of the school was not on your side but benefiting from the academic experiences， a contradiction that I'm still trying to work out in my own life。This isn't related to anything and was only one paragraph in the book but James states that she didn't apply to Smith College because it had Greek Life。 Smith College doesn't have Greek Life？？ It's very culturally similar to Oberlin， although obviously lacking a cis male population which was clearly （and justifiably） important to teenage Kendra James。 I'm not sure how she came to the conclusion that a women's college in the lesbian capitol of the United States is a buttoned up institution but I'm sorry she's just wrong。 Again this is a non-sequitur， I loved this book， its great and you should read it， I just couldn't stand for this Smith slander。 。。。more
Brynn | readyourworriesaway
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Admissions is an honest memoir detailing an alumna’s experience as a student at The Taft School。 Kendra James was the first African-American legacy student to graduate from Taft。 While working as an admissions officer as an adult， she couldn’t help but reflect back on her own time at an independent prep school and feel as though she was selling a lie。Kendra is an incredible writer。 As she detailed her story， there were times that were humorous， times that were completely devastating， and everyth Admissions is an honest memoir detailing an alumna’s experience as a student at The Taft School。 Kendra James was the first African-American legacy student to graduate from Taft。 While working as an admissions officer as an adult， she couldn’t help but reflect back on her own time at an independent prep school and feel as though she was selling a lie。Kendra is an incredible writer。 As she detailed her story， there were times that were humorous， times that were completely devastating， and everything in-between。 Kendra shared great insights on how students of color were treated differently， and how the journey to change has been slow-going。 She is vulnerable in sharing examples of racism and microaggressions that she experienced。 I appreciated reading about Kendra’s evolution from student to professional。 Admissions is an introspective memoir about a legacy student who graduated from one of the most elite prep schools。 。。。more
Cat D | _basicbookworm
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In this memoir， Kendra James shares her experience attending an elite boarding school， being one of the few students of color。 This memoir was part social critique of the very white-centered world of elite prep schools， part comedy with some of the entertaining antics Kendra and her friend for into。 Kendra’s experiences were fascinating and even horrifying at times - some of the injustices and micro-aggressions she faced were astonishing。 I really enjoyed reading this and thing it would be a gre In this memoir， Kendra James shares her experience attending an elite boarding school， being one of the few students of color。 This memoir was part social critique of the very white-centered world of elite prep schools， part comedy with some of the entertaining antics Kendra and her friend for into。 Kendra’s experiences were fascinating and even horrifying at times - some of the injustices and micro-aggressions she faced were astonishing。 I really enjoyed reading this and thing it would be a great book for everyone to read。Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy。 。。。more
BookBlanketFort
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I’m loving Admissions， which comes out on 1/18。 The author， Kendra James writes about being the first Black legacy student at her boarding school。 This memoir talks about the numerous micro- and macro-aggressions of being Black in that homogeneous environment。 At times， this novel is laugh out loud funny。 The author’s descriptions of her nerdy high school self， with her various intense fandoms and matching accessories， delighted me。 It also illustrated how racism can act to obscure markers of id I’m loving Admissions， which comes out on 1/18。 The author， Kendra James writes about being the first Black legacy student at her boarding school。 This memoir talks about the numerous micro- and macro-aggressions of being Black in that homogeneous environment。 At times， this novel is laugh out loud funny。 The author’s descriptions of her nerdy high school self， with her various intense fandoms and matching accessories， delighted me。 It also illustrated how racism can act to obscure markers of identity such as fandom and how that can hurt teens。 Highly， highly recommend this excellent book。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Traci Thomas
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I liked this book a good deal。 Humor。 Candor。 Retrospection that wasn’t entirely cliched。 Taft （and NE indie boarding schools）sounds exactly like what you’d expect。 James brought the world to life。 My biggest issue was the book was too long and lost it’s way before the end。 Overall very strong and entertaining and easy to read。
Cayla Sparkman
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ADMISSIONS: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James is an insightful introspection from the first African-American legacy student to graduate from one of the world’s most elite prep schools。 When I first read the subtitle about this being a boarding school memoir I was excited。 Okay， where are my Zoey 101， Strange Days at Blake Holsey High， and Blood & Water fans who had youthful dreams of attending an elite prep and/or boarding school？ I definitely dreamed of moving away from home ADMISSIONS: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School by Kendra James is an insightful introspection from the first African-American legacy student to graduate from one of the world’s most elite prep schools。 When I first read the subtitle about this being a boarding school memoir I was excited。 Okay， where are my Zoey 101， Strange Days at Blake Holsey High， and Blood & Water fans who had youthful dreams of attending an elite prep and/or boarding school？ I definitely dreamed of moving away from home in my teens， getting a world-class education， and having my pick at Ivy League Institutions。 But the unfortunate reality is that many of these schools like Choate （shoutout to my Power fans） and Taft weren't built with Black people or any people of color in mind。I really enjoyed the vulnerability， evolution， and raw humor of this book。 This is another memoir that felt like I was reading a YA novel with built-in reflections and lessons that she learned。 The middle was filled with some details and happenings that made the book a little longer than I think it needed to be; otherwise， I enjoyed the moments of nostalgia， blerdism， and high school drama。 Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for this advanced reader’s copy！ 。。。more
Jessica - How Jessica Reads
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As the graduate of an independent school， Kendra James， an admissions recruiter， began to have mixed feelings about promoting the independent prep school experience to Black and brown kids。 Her reflections on the racism and microaggressions prevalent in her educational experience at The Taft School led her to write Admissions: A Memoir of Surviving Boarding School。 （Full review coming soon for Shelf Awareness。）
MookNana
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