Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us

Poison Ivy reveals how elite colleges create paths to admission available only to the wealthy, despite rhetoric to the contrary. It contrasts the lip service paid to "opportunity" with schools that actually walk the walk, weaving in shocking data and captivating interviews with students and administrators.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 08 December 2022
Publisher: The New Press

The Next Big Idea Book Club nominee for October 2022 is a thought-provoking exploration of how America's elite colleges and suburbs contribute to perpetuating wealth inequality, making it increasingly challenging to address the divide that exists in our society today. While the Operation Varsity Blues scandal was a significant event, Poison Ivy delves deeper into the underlying mechanisms that enable elite colleges to offer admission opportunities exclusively to the wealthy, despite their claims to the contrary.

Evan Mandery, a professor at a public college that serves low- and middle-income students, sheds light on how tacit agreements between exclusive "Ivy-plus" schools and white affluent suburbs result in widespread de facto segregation. He highlights how the pursuit of a college degree, often seen as the key to upward mobility, perpetuates income inequality across the country.

Mandery employs shocking data and captivating interviews with students and administrators to contrast the lip service paid to "opportunity" by many elite colleges with schools that truly walk the talk. He provides valuable insider information on various aspects of the higher education system, including evaluation practices, unfair tax breaks, and questionable fundraising practices. Poison Ivy also explores suburban rituals, testing, tutoring, tuition schemes, and other practices that contribute to the perpetuation of wealth inequality.

Through its bold and provocative indictment of America's elite colleges, Poison Ivy serves as a powerful reminder of what is at stake in our faulty system and what can be achieved if we muster the collective will to transform it. The book offers a roadmap for reform, advocating for policies that promote access and equity in higher education and address the systemic issues that contribute to income inequality.

In conclusion, Poison Ivy is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complex dynamics of wealth inequality in America and the role that elite colleges and suburbs play in perpetuating it. The book provides a thought-provoking exploration of the issues and offers solutions for a more equitable and inclusive higher education system.

Weight: 676g
Dimension: 161 x 238 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781620976951