Peggy L. (paigu) reviewed Privilege : Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class on + 120 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Entertaining, but the only controversy is the way Mr. Douthat tries to distance himself from the "privileged class" at Harvard, even though he lets it slip that his name, his "good looks" (tall, thin, preppy beard) and his pedigree/background (CT suburb/Yale parents) would help "qualify" him as such. Also, Mr. Douthat does more than a bit name-dropping (in the guise of storytelling) that shows that, despite his "I'm not one of them" act, he is still "in". However, he does have an engaging way of writing and describing the people around him. The chapter about his dorm mates was worth the whole book put together, I think. Read this and cringe (and laugh) as you remember those horrendous college years...
Michelle P. (MichellePostOffice) reviewed Privilege : Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class on + 74 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Less of an analysis book than I expected, it's really memoirs of a recent Harvard grad and his musings on the privileged backgrounds of most kids there.
A great look at an Ivy League school from the inside (for conservatives [like writer Douthat] especially). A must-read for any applicant wanting to "peek behind the curtain" of a Harvard, Yale, or Princeton-caliber school.
