After the Ivory Tower Falls

How College Broke the American Dream and Blew Up Our Politics—and How to Fix It

By: Will Bunch

Narrated by: Fred Sanders

From Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Will Bunch, the epic untold story of college—the great political and cultural fault line of American life

Winner of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia Literary Award | Longlisted for the PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction | ""This book is simply terrific."" —Heather Cox Richardson | ""Ambitious and engrossing."" —New York Times Book Review | ""A must-read."" —Nancy MacLean, author of Democracy in Chains

Today there are two Americas, separate and unequal, one educated and one not. And these two tribes—the resentful “non-college” crowd and their diploma-bearing yet increasingly disillusioned adversaries—seem on the brink of a civil war. The strongest determinant of whether a voter was likely to support Donald Trump in 2016 was whether or not they attended college, and the degree of loathing they reported feeling toward the so-called “knowledge economy"" of clustered, educated elites. Somewhere in the winding last half-century of the United States, the quest for a college diploma devolved from being proof of America’s commitment to learning, science, and social mobility into a kind of Hunger Games contest to the death. That quest has infuriated both the millions who got shut out and millions who got into deep debt to stay afloat.

In After the Ivory Tower Falls, award-winning journalist Will Bunch embarks on a deeply reported journey to the heart of the American Dream. That journey begins in Gambier, Ohio, home to affluent, liberal Kenyon College, a tiny speck of Democratic blue amidst the vast red swath of white, post-industrial, rural midwestern America. To understand “the college question,” there is no better entry point than Gambier, where a world-class institution caters to elite students amidst a sea of economic despair.

From there, Bunch traces the history of college in the U.S., from the landmark GI Bill through the culture wars of the 60’s and 70’s, which found their start on college campuses. We see how resentment of college-educated elites morphed into a rejection of knowledge itself—and how the explosion in student loan debt fueled major social movements like Occupy Wall Street. Bunch then takes a question we need to ask all over again—what, and who, is college even for?—and pushes it into the 21st century by proposing a new model that works for all Americans.

The sum total is a stunning work of journalism, one that lays bare the root of our political, cultural, and economic division—and charts a path forward for America.

A Must Read for Those Working in the College Industrial Complex

Having been a college professor for 27 years, I have seen many of the negative shifts in higher ed that Bunch discusses, but this compelling book delves deeply into the history and causes of the crises in higher ed in the US. The problems seem intractable and the data Bunch provides can be depressing, but he also opines that we may be able to crawl out of the chasm of student debt as a nation with some changes that could reasonably be/become bipartisan.

Thought provoking

I heard an interview on NPR about this book, having been a victim of predatory for profit college lending it piqued my interest. I’ve got to say, a well written and excellent dive into the higher education system and all of its issues.

It can be easy listening to feel like this is a left slanted book criticizing the right, however it isn’t.

The book masterfully ties everything together as it comes to an end. It really does a great job showing you the real issues that we’re facing.

Worth the listen!

Excellent analysis of what ails the US

Will Bunch paints an accurate picture of higher education today and what's needed to prepare our young Americans for the future and a stronger country. If only congress and 'we the people 'will listen and act.

Very Balanced and Provacative

This is not a political book, but everything in America is political. Lots of history I didn’t know and analysis that makes me hopeful. Great read!

A must read for college and non-college folks

A compelling argument for the causes of the currently popular politics of resentment and possible solutions.