Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Wednesday What?


 Blythe Grossberg's nonfiction book I Left My Homework in the Hamptons (What I Learned Teaching the Children of the One Percent) is a very interesting quick read. Dr. Grossberg is a tutor and learning  specialist. Her experiences inside the high-end apartments of Fifth Avenue are beyond what ninety nine percent of us could fathom. 

She writes this book using  composites of the teens she tutored in writing. Kids are kids and often she's the one adult these kids actually have time to talk with in a day. Otherwise they are being driven  to squash practices, then to private school. They are being fed by cooks or ordering room service if they live in  luxury hotel  (!!), and maids do their laundry. Many of these kids do not see their executive parents who are traveling. 

There is SO much competition, status anxiety, and absolutely NO unstructured time for these youths. The key is the Ivy League - whatever the cost, hundreds of thousands of dollars, are spent to prepare these kids for a slot.  cover blurb  Grossberg shows us the privileged world of America's wealthiest families and the systems in place that help them stay on top. The stories are funny and shocking. 

I enjoyed reading this book and just shaking my head. Beyond imagination. 



2 comments:

  1. Apears to be a very interesting book Joanne, there is much competition for the youngsters these days.
    Take care and safe,
    Yvonne.

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    Replies
    1. indeed and money does not buy smarts, that's for sure.

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