Battle of the Books: The Curriculum Debate in America

We are what we read, contends James Atlas in this book about books, the story of America at an educational crossroads. Where once the giants of Western thought - Aristotle, Plato, Shakespeare and Milton - had pride of place, campuses are now divided: traditionalists are loath to abandon the great Western legacy, while the opponents see that canon as an elitist and inaccurate reflection of America's multicultural past. Atlas sheds light on both sides but firmly asserts that unless there is a set of core beliefs on which to build a consensus, there may soon be no clear idea of America - no common heritage, and no unified future.