Product Description
'A skillfully written, welcome addition to the scholarship on American Indian experience in federal boarding schools. Professor Child brings an important and revealing corpus of materials into public view and treats those materials with understanding and sensitivity' - Tsianina Lomawaima, author of "They Called It Prairie Light: The Story of Chilocco Indian School". "Boarding School Seasons" offers a revealing look at the strong emotional history of Indian boarding school experiences in the first half of the twentieth century. At the heart of this book are the hundreds of letters written by parents, children, and school officials at Haskell Institute in Kansas and the Flandreau School in South Dakota. These revealing letters show how profoundly entire families were affected by their experiences. Children, who often attended schools at great distances from their communities, suffered from homesickness, and their parents from loneliness. Parents worried continually about the emotional and physical health and the academic progress of their children.Families clashed repeatedly with school officials over rampant illnesses and deplorable living conditions and devised strategies to circumvent severely limiting visitation rules. Family intimacy was threatened by the schools' suppression of traditional languages and Native cultural practices. Although boarding schools were a threat to family life, profound changes occurred in the boarding school experience as families turned to these institutions for relief during the Depression, when poverty and the loss of traditional seasonal economies proved a greater threat. "Boarding School Seasons" provides a multifaceted look at the aspirations and struggles of real people. Brenda J. Child, a Red Lake Ojibwe, is an assistant professor of American studies at the University of Minnesota. This is her first book. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Informative. Has something you've never heard of before
I picked up this book for my college class on the study of Native Americans from Civil War to present.Even though this is an educational biography on boarding school life, it is actually quite intriguing.Brenda Child completely covers the topic with very interesting material. I won't say that Boarding School Seasons is one of my favorites, but if you are interested in the topic of Indian boarding schools, then you will actually be suprised at how easy it is for this book to keep your attention.If you are viewing this book for a college course, then your class shouldn't be too hard.This is one of the few college required texts that I actually managed to enjoy

A Boarding School Primer
This short, easy to read book presents a basic overview of boarding school issues which occurred throughout the U.S. during the boarding school era.Brenda Child's book concentrates on the Red Lake Ojibwes who attendedboarding school at Flandreau specifically.The book also uses personalstories of students and their families in vignettes preserved throughletters sent to and from Flandreau. I found this book well-written,readable, and recommended as an overview of the boarding school era. ... Read more

Product Description
A thorough overview of the boarding school world. This title provides parents, students, and counselors with an overview of a wide range of boarding schools. From schools with a focus on the arts, experiential education, international study, or community service; to those with a small, supportive environment to the more demanding, traditionally structured elite institutions. Written by leading admission experts Howard R. Greene and Matthew W. Greene.

Features and benefits include:- Detailed narrative descriptions of individual institutions- The pros and cons of attending boarding school and choosing the right school- Admission and financial aid strategies- Tips from admissions counselors, Heads of School, faculty, and others ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The Greene's Guide to Boarding Schools
Provides information and insight that can be found in only a few sources.
Also see the test prep guide offered by the SSAT. ... Read more

Product Description
From the author of the best-selling 'Office Slave'! Diane Atherton was a cute, naïve 18-year-old nearing her graduation from the British boarding school, Argonne School for Girls. When she ran afoul of the rules, the imposing dean, Emily Winters, knew just what she needed: a little discipline -- and a little training to be her sexual slave. Over the ensuing weeks, Diane finds herself drawn to the older woman and soon they form a symbiotic relationship: Mistress and Slave. When Dean Winters needs to raise money for the school, she finds a willing participant in Diane, who is happy to 'encourage' donors to open up their wallets in exchange for a romp with the nubile lass. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Really boring/uneventful/unrealistic
I tried this book, even though I didn't really enjoy My Pet either. Sometimes it is the book not the author. Well, this time I just could not get over how naive the character Diane is, or the attraction of an 18 year old to a 50'ish year old woman/men. Unless there is money involved. Or you are looking for a mother/father figure.

Excitingly erotic
I had first read J.W. McKenna's "Office Slave" and found it a truly intriguing and well-thought out premise. "Boarding School Slave" is every bit as exciting and plausable as the earlier book. It really is refreshing to read erotica that is so well-written. ... Read more

Product Description
The last "Indian War" was fought against Native American children in the dormitories and classrooms of government boarding schools. Only by removing Indian children from their homes for extended periods of time, policymakers reasoned, could white "civilization" take root while childhood memories of "savagism" gradually faded to the point of extinction. In the words of one official: "Kill the Indian and save the man."

Education for Extinction offers the first comprehensive account of this dispiriting effort. Much more than a study of federal Indian policy, this book vividly details the day-to-day experiences of Indian youth living in a "total institution" designed to reconstruct them both psychologically and culturally. The assault on identity came in many forms: the shearing off of braids, the assignment of new names, uniformed drill routines, humiliating punishments, relentless attacks on native religious beliefs, patriotic indoctrinations, suppression of tribal languages, Victorian gender rituals, football contests, and industrial training.

Especially poignant is Adams's description of the ways in which students resisted or accommodated themselves to forced assimilation. Many converted to varying degrees, but others plotted escapes, committed arson, and devised ingenious strategies of passive resistance. Adams also argues that many of those who seemingly cooperated with the system were more than passive players in this drama, that the response of accommodation was not synonymous with cultural surrender. This is especially apparent in his analysis of students who returned to the reservation. He reveals the various ways in which graduates struggled to make sense of their lives and selectively drew upon their school experience in negotiating personal and tribal survival in a world increasingly dominated by white men.

The discussion comes full circle when Adams reviews the government's gradual retreat from the assimilationist vision. Partly because of persistent student resistence, but also partly because of a complex and sometimes contradictory set of progressive, humanitarian, and racist motivations, policymakers did eventually come to view boarding schools less enthusiastically.

Based upon extensive use of government archives, Indian and teacher autobiographies, and school newspapers, Adams's moving account is essential reading for scholars and general readers alike interested in Western history, Native American studies, American race relations, education history, and multiculturalism. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

American Indian Boarding Schools
This is a well written book and provides both a depth and breadth of understanding into the development of indian boarding schools established in the 1800s.

Pretty good book
This was a pretty good book about American Indians and the whole boarding school experience. David Adams really brought the experience to life. The only downside to this book is that I think he tried to cover too much. He covered a great span of time and the book was pretty long and got a little slow at times.

Frightening lessons taught and learnt at these 'schools'
This all too true account of the reeducation process which American government officials euphemistically had Indian children go through is very chilling. It is maddening to believe there were people in Washington who actually considered such treatment of kids to be 'good policy'.

While reading through this book, I was gennuinely driven to tears. The tactics which were used on the kids were what was 'savage'. Ethnocentrism and racism kept the United States government and its representatives from seeing the Indians as a civilized and advanced society.

The primary and secondary sources which David Wallace Adams cites emphasize that the 'pupils' were not naive and passive victims of these abuses. Predating the American Indian Movement of the 1960's and 1970's, they resisted the 'education' which these schools were trying to shove down their own throats.

Education for extinction
I read this for a class and enjoyed it very much.It is one of the best I have read for Native Studies.There are many facts and other pieces of information that I had not found in other books.

Groundbreaking book on the education of Native Americans
This book was recommended to me by my academic advisor, as it is considered an important and influential treatise on the subject of Native American education. David Wallace Adams, in his groundbreaking book, "Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience, 1875-1928," shows how the case for education was made. First, Euro-Americans believed that the older generation of Indians was incapable of becoming civilized and were too attached to their old ways to change. The youthfulness of Indian children meant they could still be saved.

Secondly, education quickened the process of cultural evolution from savagism to civilization. Isolating the children, many felt, would help to reduce the influence of their tribes and their traditional cultures. Lastly, education helped prepare the Indians for self-sufficiency.

I really enjoy this book as it is extremely well written. Adams, unlike some historians, did not use too many jargons and his writing is easy to understand. Adams also provided background information for readers who are not proficient in this subject matter. In addition, "Education for Extinction" was heavily researched and well-documented. ... Read more

Product Description
Fiction based on a true story of a high-schooler's four years at the prestigious New England boarding school, Phillips Academy Andover. Can be described as a jeremiad painted with humor and campus high jinks in the name of survival overcoming unfaceable pain rooted in childhood and continuously blooming during an adolescence spent at boarding school. Written in first person in the voice of the main character, Lux Archer. Updated version of the author's first printed novel. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

One of "Lux's" classmates from "Whitbury"
I was in the class of 2002 with Tenley (aka Lux) at Phillips Academy Andover (aka Whitbury Academy) and received this book from another classmate. I had been warned that it was a fairly brutal attack on everyone at Andover, including her family and friends, but I was still surprised. I'm not going to attack Tenley for what she said about her family and friends; I'm sure she's heard a lot from those poorly-disguised individuals. And judging by the first few reader reviews, it seems like she's hearing the same from just about anyone who read the book.
The reason I'm writing the review is to give another perspective of Andover, because I still love my four years there and am still close with many of my classmates (some were actually falsely accused of ridiculous things in this book; I know it's fiction, but it's passed off as thinly-veiled reality, so beware, there are definitely some made up stories). I still think that those four years are the hardest I've ever worked academically--not just something you could walk through stoned and still get all 5s and 6s (at least not for 98% of us). Maybe I had an unusual experience; maybe because I didn't come from a privileged background, but I found Tenley's account of Andover to be pretty far from what my friends and I think. But then again, we're probably some of the "lame" girls she talked about, yuck.
Overall, I found Tenley's attitude towards Andover, the faculty, and the students to be pretty negatively biased and inaccurate compared to what many students thought and experienced. While many students probably spent a fair amount of time using drugs, experimenting sexually, and dealing with some serious family problems, I think Tenley's pretty far off from an accurate or representative view of Andover.

Juvenilia of Little Interest -- even IF you know PA!
As an alumnus of Phillips Academy -- superficially disguised in this book as "Whitbury Academy" -- and as a current parent, naturally I was intrigued by the comments about this book in Phillips Academy's school paper.I couldn't resist buying a copy.I had a challenging experience at "Whitbury" in the seventies, and am fully aware of the risks inherent in the adolescent freedoms of a boarding school.As a literary sub-genre, these risks and battles are hardly new territory, with hoary old boy-focused titles like "The Catcher in the Rye" and "A Separate Peace" on one end, and newer ones such as "Prep" now poking about the female experience as well.(In this regard, and for aficionados of the theme, Sean Wilsey's memoir "Oh The Glory Of It All" has a great chapter or two on a named St. Grottlesex School in full disciplinary meltdown and its impact on both sexes -- worth a look.)I have no problem with tough literary exploration of the complexities of the prep school world, which after all is a wonderfully complex psychologicaltableau of adolescence, social class, sexual exploration, and academic pressure.

Unfortunately, and despite moments in this book when I caught fleeting glimpses of what might eventually be developed into literary talent, the book disappointed.A few more English classes would certainly have helped.A hugely irritating problem was the lack of simple proof-reading.And the failings would have pretty easily been correctable, had the author (a) been awake in lower year English class, when simple grammatical and syntactical rules such as the use of the personal pronoun "I" were presumably discussed (note to Tenley, you don't say "he told Johnny and I"(!)); (b) known the difference between "whom" and "who" (!!!); (c) proofread the books for puzzling errors such as the (I hope) ironic use of the lower case in describing her meeting with the first "democrat" in her life at Andover..(puzzling because she described herself as being from Texas, not Soviet Russia..)To be fair to the poor author, she started off on the wrong foot with me, with her puzzling assertion in the book's third sentence that a family of whales (sic) attended Eton.Was she perhaps erroneously stating that the current heir of the house of Windsor attended Eton?A simple glance at Wikipedia could have corrected that error.The Prince of Wales, (note to Tenley: a part of the United Kingdom, not a big ocean mammal), attended Gordonstoun.

More broadly, the book is filled with odd contradictions, page after page.The author just can't seem to come to terms with her own voice -- and views.What does she really think?And more importantly, why should we really care?Perhaps the funniest moment in the book is when the author snidely notes, probably truthfully, that most of her readers will likely be her relatives.While this is funny in a way, it's both wickedly insulting to those of us who are not, who stupidly put down fifteen bucks to buy the book, and perhaps hugely revealing of this overly self-confident young woman's real desire -- to get back at mommy and daddy through some self-published screed about how naughty they were to her.. If she wanted to go after mommy and daddy, she should have just written them an e-mail; if she wanted to sell books, she owed it to her readers to write something worth reading.And in this she failed.

To content.Oh, to content.To resist spoiling the plot line such as it is, I will keep to generalities.One of the oldest cliches in elite school lore is the smart kid who coasts but succeeds anyway; an early example in this vein, if memory serves, was Thoreau's amusing sketch of a Harvard senior.If one is going to follow in these footsteps, it must be done creatively.Reading this piece of juvenilia I am forcefully reminded of a sage author's comment tounpublished young man when told by the novice that he has just finished his first book.The published author's advice?"Write a second one, and try to publish that."This would have been good advice for young Tenley Eakin.One Tablet Daily has a few moments of drama, and an occasional turn of phrase, but its overall tone is a tired air of self-confidence untempered with self-knowledge.While this is indeed a common trait among young preppies, including, let's admit it, Andover alumni, it's also one that real authors need to shed before they go to press.Literature can be a tough arena, and if this were literature, I would be okay with the nastiness of some of the book, which is actually more self-reflexive than the author may herself realize.But it's not literature.There are some unintentionally funny moments.The loopy Republicanism of the main character is more self-parodying than insightful, as is the puppy dog leftism of her rather dim beau. And there is occasionally some craft on display here as well.But it's juvenile craft, not mature work, and shouldn't try to masquerade as anything more.

In the end, I was left with a slight spark of hope for the author.This could have been a better book than Curtis Sittenfeld's "Prep", perhaps because for all Tenley Eakin's debutante pain, she did in fact feel the adolescent angst that fueled this book, and it clearly marked her.She should continue writing, and once she has reviewed -- or learned -- some basic rules of editing, proof-reading, and thinking, she may actually turn into a writer.I hope she does.Would I recommend this book to readers?No.But if the author works hard, her next book might be worth reading.

PS - note to Tenley: use "spell-checker"!"Hilarious" is spelled with one "l" - not two..

Note from the author
Lux, the main character, would not have used spell-check or cared about typos. This book is written in her voice. The typos and errors were my philosophical decision to keep. Consider it character writing, much like character acting. (I am glad those of you have found the deep humor in this book.) x Tenley aka "Lux"

Bitter, overly privileged kid whines about the life she chose to screw up herself
I'm still not entirely sure what the purpose of publishing this book was. The whole book is a rant about how much Eakin hates everything and everyone from her boarding high school. What was her objective? Does she want to cast shadow on an education that most would kill for? Does she want to hit back at the school for helping her on her way to Princeton? Does she want to dishonor all her teachers for putting up with her in class? Does she want everyone affiliated with the school to be "exposed" as phony and useless? In fact, what is the thesis of the book? Does it even have one?

You could say I'm familiar with "Whitbury." She changed names of people from her school, but not of buildings on campus. She writes terrible, disgraceful, slanderous things about the child of a house counselor in her dorm (a dorm she didn't change the name of) - slander about a young child. This family still lives on campus. What did they do to deserve Eakin's harsh words? She needs to recognize that house counselors perform a service with their presence and certainly should take no responsibility for the fact that Eakin hates her family and turned to drugs and alcohol in high school. It's her own fault and I'm absolutely disgusted at her choice to blame the school and all of her friends and family. Does she think she's the first girl whose parents went through a challenging divorce? Does she believe it was her friends' fault she was too weak to seek out help rather than to turn to substance abuse? Does she actually think the world owes her something for her troubles?

Because, damn, she lambasts everyone. I'm glad I never had any contact with her. Everyone she ever knew at "Whitbury" takes a beating in her book: teachers, students, administration, and even faculty children. Absolutely disgraceful. The quality of her writing should speak volumes about its candidness - it's poorly written, poorly articulated slander, plain and simple.

High school exposed?
This is a book, barely veiled as fiction, that exposes all of Tenley's friends in high school. How would you like that?I teach at the school and wondered why Tenley wrote this. What was the point?When I finished reading the book I wanted to ask Tenley two questions: When did she stop taking drugs and now, as a teacher, what would she do with a student like herself? ... Read more

Product Description

For two years, Rubén Gaztambide-Fernández shared the life of what he calls the “Weston School,” an elite New England boarding school. He sat in on classes, ate meals in the dining halls, cheered at sporting events, hung out in dorms while students baked cookies or celebrated birthdays. And through it all, observing the experiences of a diverse group of students, conducting interviews and focus groups, he developed a nuanced portrait of how these students make sense of their extraordinary good fortune in attending the school.

Vividly describing the pastoral landscape and graceful buildings, the rich variety of classes and activities, and the official and unofficial rules that define the school, The Best of the Best reveals a small world of deeply ambitious, intensely pressured students. Some are on scholarship, others have never met a public school student, but all feel they have earned their place as a “Westonian” by being smart and working hard. Weston is a family, they declare, with a niche for everyone, but the hierarchy of coolness—the way in which class, race, sexism, and good looks can determine one’s place—is well known.

For Gaztambide-Fernández, Weston is daunting yet strikingly bucolic, inspiring but frustratingly incurious, and sometimes—especially for young women—a gilded cage for a gilded age. “Would you send your daughter here?” one girl asks him, and seeing his hesitation asks, “Because you love her?”

Customer Reviews (1)

Ethnography of an Elite Boarding School
While a graduate student at the Harvard School of Education, Gaztambide-Fernandez was given research access to an elite, New England boarding school. For two years, he conducted ethnographic field reserach.He wanted to learn how over the course of four years, students began to see themselves as an "elite" group.It is this focus on the creation of elites that makes this ethnography so very interesting.

Boarding schools have been the object of popular fascination for a number of years.For the casual voyeur, it is best to remember "The Best of the Best" is a scholarly work not intended for mass consumption.But for those willing to deal with theory and academic writing, "Best of the Best" is a worthwhile read.However, if you are looking for something a little more accessable, I would recommend Sarah Chase's "Perfectly Prep." ... Read more

Product Description
American Boarding Schools gathers together in one place all the information necessary for parents and students to make informed decisions on attending a boarding school in the United States.

Essays by admission professionals, teachers, student counselors as well as currently enrolled international students outline how the admission process works, how to choose the right school, how to get admitted, and what to expect once you are in.

The directory of leading boarding schools gives a detailed description of each school's programs, requirements, curriculum, facilitles, and college placement history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

American Boarding Schools
It is about time such a book is put together. The elusive and elite world of boarding schools in America is now being increasingly recognized as a catalyst for Asian students to obtain a taste of an US education and the American culture. Thus, boarding schools are gradually emerging onto the international arena as a marketable commodity.

Understandably, being hauled out into the light from years of traditional obscurity and privilege, there are often much misunderstanding and difference in expectations between the schools and parents. This is compounded if the parents are unfamiliar with the local environment and culture to begin with. If you agree with the above, rest be assured that these are potentially preventable conflicts and American Boarding Schools is one such useful initiative to do so.

To call American Boarding Schools a mere directory would be an understatement. It is a lot more than just a chapter ripped off from the Yellow Pages, or a mere collection of brochures. Firstly, the various inputs from headmasters, international student coordinators and other school officials make this book not just a collection of information; but an agent of communication. Then, because it is compiled with international students in mind, it is only apt that international students help write it too! Indeed, there are student testimonies; some touching, some humorous but all encouraging experiences about being in a school a few plane flights away from home.

Parents who are sending their children to boarding schools are akin to having them being adopted for a while. The whole emotional aspect attached to this sometimes blurs their ability to critically analyze the schools. Indeed, most of the time, they are at a loss of what to expect, since boarding schools in America thrive in their uniqueness.

Therefore, when facing an agent/consultant or headmaster, what are the pertinent questions one should ask? American Boarding Schools not only tells you the questions but provides the answers as well! From `Is it a uni-gender school or co-ed? How many international students are there? What are its SAT score requirements? How much is the tuition... all the way down to the headmasters' names and email addresses; neatly listed and easy-to-find. From Asheville to Winchendon, American Boarding Schools gives a concise description of fifty five boarding schools all across America.

As mentioned, boarding schools are as fiercely independent as they come. Thus, it is not only a new culture but a subculture that the fresh international student must adapt to. It certainly would not hurt to know what it is like beforehand. For example, what is the school's leaning; (religious or secular), its academic strengths (liberal arts or sciences), and perhaps the one which parents rarely forget; `What universities do their graduates get admitted to?'

Choosing a good boarding school; either for yourself or your children is perhaps one of the most important investments in life. No information is too trivial, no data less useful in determining one's Alma mater.

Before you meet that agent, or go for that interview with the headmaster, make sure you have American Boarding Schools at hand, with every sentence memorized.

Just kidding.

Basic, guidebook information
I bought this book hoping to get a "rating" on the boarding schools.This book is geared towards international students looking to attend American boarding schools (we are American).The writing is clear and friendly.But, I did not get any more information than I would fine in the Peterson's guide book. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The institutional life of boarding school is a common thread running through American Indian history-a history that will not be forgotten. Here are stories of the strategies of human survival-resistance, accommodation, faith in oneself and one's heritage, the ability to learn from hard times and to create something beautiful and meaningful from scraps and fragments.Accompanies a permanent exhibition at The Heard Museum (Phoenix, Arizona). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Knowledgeable
This book is amazing and extremly educational for those that have no idea what went on during that era. It is sad that these tribal people were made to attend these boarding schools. Everyone seems to be allowed to be themselves, ie..English, Italian, Irish, Pollish, German etc, and not be judged. It is sad because these Indian children were taken from their homes and placed somewhere where they were to speak and act like someone they are not. I have been in the company of Tribal people who had relatives that survived these schools and everything is not in this book. But, considering, it is one of the books that is acurate.

A magnificent collection of writings, poems, photographs
Away From Home: American Indian Boarding School Experiences is a magnificent collection of writings, poems, photographs, and paintings and illustrations that document American Indian boarding school experiences in the U. S. between 1879-2000. It was collected as a part of a display on exhibit at the Heard Museum until 2005. From the beautiful but sad painting on the cover (Untitled oil on canvas by Angel de Cora, Winnebago) to the dozens of historical photographs within of different aspects of the various Native American boarding school histories, to the poignant letters, poems, and memories of the many contributors, Away From Home is a revelation of repressed racial memories that underlines the need for dialogue specifically with Native voices in order to accept responsibility as well as to encompass and "enrich our view of America's past, present and future (Page 135, Brenda Child)." Away From Home presents a rich assortment of written and pictured memories from such boarding schools as Carlisle Indian School of Pennsylvania, Sherman Indian School, Riverside, California, and Flandreau Indian School, South Dakota. Both the many negative and some surprising positive aspects of boarding school existence are explored. The shattering impact on family and ethnic identification of the boarding school student is not avoided. The notion that perhaps an apology is owed to present day survivors' descendants is actually obliquely presented in a referent to the "Sorry Day" movement of Aboriginal people in Australia. At least the impact of exhibits and books such as Away From Home contain the impetus to a needed dialogue that has yet to be fully heard. Away From Home is a rich collection, filled with many voices and bitter experiences that were braided into strengths. It is a treasure and a measure of the many colors of beauty in the human spirit. ... Read more

Product Description
Yates spare and autumnal tale of a New England prep school is at once a meditation on the twilight of youth and an examination America's entry into World War II.A GOOD SCHOOL tells the stories of William Grove, the nervous boy who becomes an editor of the school paper, Jack Draper the crippled chemistry teacher, and Edith Stone, the schoolmaster's young daughter, who falls in love with most celebrated boy in the class of 1943.AUTHORBIO: Richard Yates was the author of the novels REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, A SPECIAL PROVIDENCE, DISTURBING THE PEACE, THE EASTER PARADE, A GOOD SCHOOL, YOUNG HEARTS CRYING, and COLD SPRING HARBOR, as well as the story collections ELEVEN KINDS OF LONELINESS, LIARS IN LOVE, and THE COLLECTED STORIES OF RICHARD YATES.He died in 1992. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Yates with a Hollywood Ending
This is a SWEET book, something you could not say about Rev Road and Easter Parade (the other Yates' books that I have read). From what I gather (from reading about all of Yates' books), this is as Hollywood as Yates gets. But this book still contains the trademark Yates' sensitivity and sparse, transparent writing.

This 'coming of age at a boarding school' story has been told many times before in books and movies, but it is real neat to see Yates' take on the genre. Everything just rings true to me here. Yates is considerate of the motivations and anxieties of the main characters. And for the 'only happy when it rains' crowd, this book is still Yates to the core: everything is not 'happy, happy' here.

Also, you get Yates' opinion (well placed within the story) on the value of the 'well rounded education'. Yates is not a fan of the 'well rounded education', preferring a more specialized approach to education. I say AMEN to that.

School of Thought
More than a "good" novel, 'A Good School' is an observant and engaging coming of age story that does not dissapoint.

The novel tells the story of many different characters, William Grove an awkward boy who becomes editor of the school newspaper; Jack Draper, a crippled Chemistry teacher; Edith Stone, the schoolmaster's young and beautiful daughter; and Robert Driscoll, the English master at Dorset Academy.

Think J.D. Salinger (of 'The Catcher in the Rye' fame) but with the eye and feel of Richard Yates, which means the reader gets a thoughtful and meaningful ovbservation of life. The story is utterly absorbing and involving. It's also a fast read that should have you wanting to read more of Yate's other novels (and I hope you do!). 'A Good School' is powerful yet subltle but important enough to strike up a conversation with anyone. What does a "good" education mean? What can a "good" education do for someone? What does going to a "good" school mean? and Is it all worth it in the end?

The answers are in this mere 178 page novel. Read it!

Same Stuff, But What Great Stuff
Yates once again recycles the same characters, broadens his scope a little to focus on the private school setting and pulls off yet another great read! For an in-depth look at Yates and his work, google "Stewart O'Nan Richard Yates."

Truth isn't always stranger than fiction.
Like many, I only recently discovered Richard Yates. After "Revolutionary Road," I immediately read all of his other published work and am now looking around like a person in shock after a collision, trying to come to grips with the reality that this is it. There is no more.

Yates has a rare talent for making the freakiness of human nature almost beautiful. I found myself falling in love with the characters and forgetting about the plot. His characters are eerily familiar in so many ways, almost like old friends or people you've somehow always known. And their thoughts and actions, as deranged and illogical and pathetic as they often are, just seem natural.

"A Good School" is one of the few exceptions to the old "Truth is stranger than fiction" adage. It's strange, and it doesn't feel like a story. Yates elaborately intertwines the individual tragedies of each of his characters, careful to keep the hideousness bearable and drawing out the beauty at key points to make this an intensely interesting, entertaining read that effortlessly touches the reader's emotions.

Another GREAT novel ...
Amici, this guy (Yates) is so good it hurts.Powerfully painful ... the shame is his sales are now probably a thousand times better than when he was alive ... and the irony is there aren't as many readers of literature anymore ... go figure ... but read it ... definitely read anything by Richard Yates.One of America's absolute best ever. ... Read more

Product Description
Lonely and a long way from her Iowa home, twelve-year-old Jeri McKane reacts to boarding school the way most middle schoolers would. Even with close friends, she wonders whether her scholarship to prestigious Landmark School was worth it. She's tempted to give up when her Mom can't make parents' weekend, and the school bus carrying her roommate, Rosa, disappears. But this reporter for the sixth-grade newspaper has an eye like Nancy Drew and more faith and courage than she realizes. Jeri solves the mystery---and makes landmark decisions to trust God and his Word through circumstances and feelings that don't make sense. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Terrific Action Paced Mystery - Fading Tracks
Funded by a full ride scholarship, Jeri McKane attends swanky Landmark Boarding School. On the end of the "have not's" Jerri feels out of place amongst the "haves." Overwhelmed by homesickness Jeri soon becomes distracted with an unexpected mystery ready to be solved. Her roommate Rosa and several other classmates disappear into thin air while en-route back to Landmark via school bus. How is this possible, when there is only one way in and out on the mountain? Jeri's keen reporting and research skills are put to the test at this time of crisis. Especially, since the adults in charge do not seem to be making any progress in their search and rescue attempts.

Jeri decides to conduct her own investigation, much to the chagrin of the authority figures in charge. Navigating the twists and turns and sorting the truths from the lies, Jeri makes a startling discovery. But can she make it in time?

Kristi Holl presents an action paced mystery with the power of one's faith for an exhilarating read.

Great for Nancy Drew fans
Jeri McKane is a sixth grader at a boarding school who's a reporter for the school newspaper and also thinks of herself as an amateur sleuth.One day her detective skills are put to the test when a bus carrying a load of students, including Jeri's roommate, never returns.Clues lead to something sinister happening.Can Jeri fend off nosy reporters and snippity headmistresses to find out what really happened to her friends?

This is a new mystery series that is aimed at the tweener set and revolves around the lives of girls at the Landmark School for Girls.It's set a a boarding school location, which I adore because for some reason, I find boarding schools to be fascinating. Jeri is a character that is dealing with her parents divorce and feeling that she's not an important factor in her lives.Therefore she throws herself into her life at school to forget about those problems.Her character is very dimensional and grows throughout the story.She's very likable and if I were that age, I would like to have her as a friend.I thought the mystery was really good as it took me a while to figure out what really had happened to the missing students.It was quite intense and more complicated than what I had expected.

While it's a cute story and has a really good mystery for the younger set, there were some parts of the book I felt to be unbelievable.I just didn't buy some of the responses of the adults in the story.I also didn't like the headmistress and how she handled the situation.There are some parts that may be too intense for young readers such as child abduction and possible death.Therefore I would say this book is for at least readers of the tween age.However for those who can handle it, it's a great read and a fun way to spend an afternoon reading.These are perfect for Nancy Drew fans who are looking for something different to read.If you have a tween that loves mysteries, this book is definitely recommended.

A Real Page Turner
This book kept me guessing right up to the end. The characters are so real. These are kids I would want to know.

Faith-filled mystery stumps even adult readers
Twelve-year-old Jerri McKane is distraught to hear her roommate and several other girls from Landmark School for Girls are missing after they didn't return from a school field trip. What is more startling is the purple and yellow school van was spotted traveling along a two-lane road bordering a lake, but was not seen coming out the other end. What happened to the bus? Did it careen on black ice or was there foul play?

Amateur sleuth Jerri McKane will stop at nothing to find out what happened to the bus, even if it means risking her own life.

I was riveted to the edge of my seat wondering what happened to that bus. The author's carefully laid red herring left me totally clueless. I couldn't figure out what happened and I didn't know who to trust. The characterization of the cantankerous head mistress, the overzealous T.V. reporter, and the blue-haired, nose-ringed news camera woman made the story come to life.

Advanced readers too young to handle the likely reasons the children disappeared: possible accidental death, possible child abduction, and possible murder should not read this story just yet. I wouldn't want the little ones to suffer from bad dreams.

But middle school-aged children through adults will enjoy Fading Tracks as Jerri learns to "trust God when the world doesn't seem to make sense."
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Product Description
A detailed and clear guide to the world of boarding schools- the good, the bad, and the troubling aspects of this unique world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Headmaster's Perspective
In the interest of full disclosure, I know Tim Hillman personally and have written an article for one of his previous books regarding boarding school. I have also talked to Tim over the years -- as Assistant Head of School for Enrollment at Mercersburg Academy and as Headmaster of Perkiomen School -- about this concept and know that, editing errors and all, the book is sound in its observations, cautionary tales, and advice.

It is true that Behind the Walls is not a rating book -- thank, God, since ratings are useless in a field that has about one half of one percent of the students in the USA and represents only a little over 200 schools, each with its own unique mission, history, and ethos. Behind the Walls is exceptional, especially for the parent who is seeking the "right fit" for her/his child, rather than the "right name." Understanding the nuances of the admission process, how to wade through the marketing, and what to look for to find a healthy residential and academic environment are all essential to a successful matriculation.

As one mentor told me when I was a younger teacher, bricks and mortar do not a school make! Look beyond not only the walls, but beyond the facades -- look at the faces of the students, look at how the desks are arranged in classrooms, listen to the teachers and coaches -- It is the human factor that makes a boarding school great -- not the date on the school seal, not the number of AP courses, average SAT scores, or college lists (which are sometimes padded with acceptances from one student at the top of the class!). As a product of a public school, I can honestly say that I would never trade my years in independent college preparatory schools for anything. Reading Behind the Walls only reaffirmed my decision to work in the boarding school world and it will surely be a help to anyone considering these wonderful communities for themselves or for their children.

Behind the walls, behind the hype
Just finished reading Behind the Walls. As the author, himself, admittedin a review, the editing is just terrible. However, there are worthwhile nuggets of information that can help the reader better understand the inner workings of boarding schools. I bought this book mainly to see how my daughter's prep school measures in comparison to what Hillman considers to be important benchmarks at U.S. boarding schools. I think I got more out of this book now that my daughter has completed her third-form (freshman)year. I was able to apply his experiences to what she has encountered. I'm happy to say I think she is at a really good school.

Useful information but ....
Hillman presents a lot of useful information in a well-organized, straightforward and admirably evenhanded way. The book is short enough to be read in a single setting, and I found it genuinely helpful as the parent of a private school child who is vaguely considering boarding school as a future option. However, I find it disturbing that someone who is not only an alumnus but also a faculty member of presumably more than one elite boarding school could write a book with so many typographical, grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors. Both Hillman and his editor(s) should be embarrassed.

I hope his students write better....
Unfortunately, the content of this book was so obscured by typos and editing errors that I could barely focus on Mr. Hillman's insights into boarding school life. One would think that a teacher, in particular, would keep a closer eye on the copy editor. Doesn't the author remember that old school maxim to "check your work!"

Info behind the scenes
This book tells you about things that go on at boarding schools, that the schools themselves would never tell you.A great book for anyone looking at the pros and cons of sending your kids to boarding school. ... Read more

Product Description
When a group of Jeri McKane's friends help Abby present a birthday dinner for her home-ec project, the party ends up in the trashcan ... literally. Is it just an unfortunate event, or have the friends been intentionally poisoned? Jeri's instinct says something isn't right, and the girls follow a trail that leads to some not-so-sweet evidence. Tween girls can wonder why God doesn't step in when meanness and injustice happens. This story helps them see how he often uses ordinary people to help uncover the truth! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great Mystery Series
This book is a real page turner, Kristi Holl knows how to write exciting mysteries and wonderful characters. ... Read more

Product Description
Blue Bonnet in Boston - or, Boarding-School Days at Miss North's is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Caroline E. (Caroline Elliott Hoogs) Jacobs is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Caroline E. (Caroline Elliott Hoogs) Jacobs then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Product Description
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Little Princess lite
Reviewer : N,Seattle:The same basic heartwarming story as Little Princess with fewer details and some character changes.There is no Becky, father's friend is old and fat, different interactions with neighbor families.Same basic story.
Interesting to see the author's storyline in another version. ... Read more

Product Description
In 1879 eighty-four Sioux boys and girls became the inaugural group of students to be enrolled at the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. Carlisle was the first institution opened by the federal government for the education of Native American children. The brainchild of former Indian fighter Captain Richard Pratt, Carlisle, like other schools that followed, was established to teach Indian children the "white man's way." For some, like Olympian Jim Thorpe, Indian School led to success and prosperity, but for many others it was an education in alienation and isolation. Michael L. Cooper examines the Indian Schools and tells the personal stories, often in their own words, of several young students, including Zitkala-Sa, who wrote, "Like a slender tree, I had been uprooted from my mother, nature, and God." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Would give it a 0 if I could
This book is HORRIBLE! If you want to educate yourself or students or children - please skip this book. It will only fill your head with inaccurate and stereotypical information. This book is poorly researched and written without any Native American input at all (I know this is true because when asked during an interview if he talked to Native people about their experiences, he said Native people dont want to talk about it). He writes only from collected pieces of information that cover up boarding school crimes such as molestation, severe abuse and murder. Boarding schools were not happy times. Just because some great people came out of it does not mean it benefited them - it just means that these children would survive anything thrown at them. PLEASE do not read this book to children! Please!

Indian School: Teaching the White Man's Way
The Indian Boarding School is one of the most horrific ideas anyone could have come up with to rid them selves of people. Children, often at very young ages, were taken, sometimes kidnapped, to a school far from their homes and families. As if this wasn't enough they were not allowed to speak their own languages, wear their own clothing, and practice traditions that had been in their cultures for countless generations. They were forced to become Christians, forced to speak English, and forced to wear Victorian-style clothing, and many more things. If they broke a rule they were severly punished. We are still feeling the affects of this today. Many tribes have or nearly have lost their language and traditions, and with them their sense of being unique. Of course none of this is told in Michael L. Cooper's "Indian School: Teaching the White Man's Way."
Mr Cooper wrote, "When they were teenagers Native Americans married, had children and went on the warpath." But Mr. Cooper fails to mention that many cultures married and had children as teenagers. They had to, life expectancy was so short, if they didn't they would die out. Many cultures still marry as teens today. It wasn't until just a few decades ago that many people stopped doing this.
And not all Native Americans thought the Black Hills were "the holiest spot on earth." I mean really in pre-Columbian times North America was covered with indigenous peoples, it is very hard to belive that all of them thought that the Black Hills were/are sacred.
I could go on and on about this book but the review has a maximum of 1,000 words so I will cut it short. This book stinks! I do not recommend it. Mr. Cooper could researched a lot better. I hope this book is never used as a reference to Indian Boarding School life. Thank You for your time.

The worst educational book about native americans.
this book is awful. we are not called indians. We are native americans. this book has so many stereotypes. My grandmother was taken from her family when she was 7 years old. she did not see her family until she was 16 years old. i am truly afended by this book because i am a native american and my family did go through the bording school era. All i have to say is that Michael L. Cooper should have researched more and thought about how we would be afected by this book.

Review of Indian School
This absorbing book addresses the issue of cultural imperialism in thoughtful ways.It explores how federally funded schools sought to teach "the white man's ways" to Native American children in thelate-nineteenth and early-twentieth century.Balanced and sensitive to thepast, Cooper acknowledges that the founder and teachers generally had goodintentions and opened opportunities for some students.There is even adelightful chapter on "Pop" Warner's successful program inCarlisle PA.Yet, without resorting to heavy-handed editorializing, theauthor uses the evidence to establish that the inability to accept culturaldifferences harmed the youths.Cooper does an outsatnding job telling thestory from the students' point of view.The photographes of dailylife atthe schools are wonderful.Rich in personal details, Indian School willengage young readers.

Review of Indian School
This absorbing book addresses the issue of cultural imperialism in thoughtful ways.It explores how federally-funded schools sought to teach "the white man's ways" to Native Americans children in thelate-nineteeenth and early twentieth century.Balanced and sensitive tothe past, Cooper acknowledges that the teachers generally had goodintentions and opened opportunities for some students.Thre is even adelightful chapter on "Pop" Warner's successful football programa the school in Carlisle PA.Yet, without resorting to heavy-handededitorializing, the author uses the evidence to establish that theinability to accept cultural differences harmed the youths.Cooper does anoutstanding job telling the story from the students' point of view.Thephotographs of daily life at the school are wonderful.Rich in personaldetails, Indian School will engage young readers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Book for Older Children - a review of "Children of the Indian Boarding Schools"
"The School Journal" and "Booklist" suggest this book for children as young as 2nd Grade.But given the subject matter, and given the reading level, I would think that 4th Grade-and-Up might be more appropriate.

The Accelerated Reading listing for "Children of the Indian Boarding Schools" is 5.4.This means that this book is generally suited for 5th Graders in the 4th month of school.That alone, of course, does not suggest that the book is inappropriate for younger children.However this book talks about the Government (ours... U.S.A.) coming and forcefully taking children from their parents.And, in fact, arresting fathers and sending them to prison when they objected to having their families torn apart.

To me, this is difficult material.And while it is handled quite well there are enough dark moments that come to light that I was not comfortable reading the book to my second grader.The author gives us, for example, excepts from letters, and quotes from adults, which speak of their sadness at being taken away from their families.We are also given some sad facts about how many children died in these institutions that were supposedly for their benefit.

Five Stars :::A moving book about a dark time in U.S. history.Holly Littlefield does a fine job in describing what was involved in the forceful placement of Native American children into Boarding Schools.She discusses how the children were taught English and the Christian religion, and generally made to present themselves in a western fashion.The presentation is somewhat biased towards the negative, although the author does give a few examples of children that appeared to benefit.

The Accelerated Reading designation is given as 5.4.


Note on AR designation:The AR description is a general "guide" that rates books on a relative scale of difficulty. Children can certainly read at levels above or below their group range, so that this number should only be used as a aid to help choose books that are appropriate and not frustrating.

Pam T. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

interesting subject-uninspiring author
This book covers a facinating and underexamined area of US history.I was very much looking forward to reading it.The author clearly is extremely well-educated on this subject.The problem is -- he's boring.Ward Churchill writes like your typical college professor who turned you off history forever by being pedantic and uninspiring.I've worked as a book editor in the past and I have found that often the more education a writer has the worse his or her books are.Churchill seems to be underlining his scholarship with tediousness and seems to be over his head in information with no way to convey it in anreadable manner.His editor should be fired for not making this book comprehensible to a wider audience.It isn't a doctoral thesis, for crying out loud.It's a disappointing treatment of what should have been an enlightening and educating experience. I wish I'd saved my money and hope, considering all the books Churchill has listed on Amazon, that he has, or will, learn to write well.

A core contribution to Native American Studies
From 1880 to 1980 the families of Native Americans were cruelly disrupted by the United States and Canadian governments who forcibly removed children from their homes and relocated them in residential schools. The stated goal of this intrusive and brutal governmental program was to "kill the Indian to save the man". Half of the children died in this process of cultural remodeling refashioning aboriginal children into the clothing, hairstyles, attitdudes, and langauges of the larger white culture, and those who survived were often left permanently scarred resulting in alcoholism, suicide, and the transmission of trauma to succeeding generations down to the present day. A core contribution to Native American Studies curriculums and academic library reference collections, Ward Churchill (a Keetowah Cherokee and Professor of American Indian Studies, University of Colorado, Boulder) clearly lays out this unhappy chapter in Native American history with considerable detail and expertise in Kill The Indian, Save The Man: The Genocidal Impact Of American Indian Residential Schools.
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