We often hear about the growing divide between rich and poor in America. This compelling exposé; backed by up-to-date research; locates the source of this trend where we might least expect to find it—in our schools. Written for a wide audience; Tearing Down the Gates is a powerful indictment of American education that shows how schools; colleges; and universities exacerbate inequality by providing ample opportunities for advantaged students while shutting the gates on the poor—and even the middle class. Peter Sacks tells the stories of young people and families as they struggle to negotiate the educational system. He introduces students like Ashlea; who grew up in a trailer park and who would like to attend college; though she faces constant obstacles that many of her more privileged classmates can't imagine. Woven throughout with voices of Americans both rich and poor; Tearing Down the Gates describes a disturbing situation that has the potential to undermine the American dream; not just for some; but for all of us. At the heart of this book is a question of justice; and Sacks demands that we take a hard look at what equal opportunity really means in the United States today.
#1259069 in Books 2007-10-10Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.00 x 1.00 x 6.00l; .85 #File Name: 0520251040187 pages
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. a nice overview on the literature on how Christmas developedBy lindapanzoI love reading books about Christmas; particularly the history of the holiday; though almost any aspect is fair game; as far as I'm concerned. In fact; I've probably read upwards of 50 books Christmas-themed books. Anyway; I try to read at least a few Christmas books every year.This book wasn't geared for someone who's done a lot of reading on the development of the holiday over the years. However; it's a nice overview of the literature on how Christmas developed. I've read many of the books cited. Even so; it was informative and; since it has a terrific bibliography; it gave me lots of ideas for future Christmas reading.If you don't want to read all those other books; this would be a great choice to start with. There's some talk of the spiritual but more of the book focuses on the secular. It was very good but a bit basic for me. I'd recommend it as a great starter book on the subject.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Good reasearch effort.By MtnugletI used this book to do an indepth study of Christmas and the traditions surrounding it. Very well done. Learned quite a bit. I enjoyed the author's approach that Christmas; no matter what it started out has; is now a commercially controlled holiday and that when people yearn for the goodness and wholesome old days; they never really existed; at least in America. The Origins of Christmas did a better job dealing with the ancient history of Christmas in the early church; but that was not why this book was written.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Amazing Christmas historyBy JusticepirateThe book told a grand history about origins of so many Christmas traditions both Christian and pagan. The author is a Christian; but you really can't tell until the last chapter of the book. It was a pretty unbiased and excellent documentation of things such as Saturnalia; St. Nicholas; and the birth of Christ. It was something I wanted everyone to know about. If only they knew about Christmas trees and the commercialization of the holiday. It is a must read for people who don't know much about Christmas at all; but celebrate it in full force (like I had done).
