This is a treatise on our failing education system's efforts to impart the most basic information needed to maintain that culture that is distinctly "American" in nature. He maintains that, while the very core of our national culture is diverstiy, there must be a binding matrix if we are to continue to thrive as a unified country. He provides his own list of things that he believes any high school graduate should know about. NOT know deeply, but know what the topic means, what the other person is talking about: 1492, abolitionism, amnesia, amnesty, chain reaction, Duke Ellington, NATO and so on. We have high school graduates who can't even count down change from a ten dollar bill unless a machine tells them the amount to return to the customer. Democracy depends on an enlightened and educated population and we're losing it.

I'd set this book free except I've lent it several times and want to keep it around to lend again. But if I won the lottery I'd buy a thousand of them and set them all free to roam the country educating people that it's time to get serious about returning to the idea of educating kids.

Actually, I am releasing this forever to a friend. I can get myself another copy if I want to reread it, but until then I can olny hope it will be beneficial and eventually he'll be able to release it again.