by Andrew Hacker. Hacker (political science, Queens Coll.; Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal) and Dreifus (Sch. of International & Public Affairs, Columbia Univ.) make it their mission to blow the lid off the current state of colleges and universities in the United States. Although both authors are professors, neither shies away from breaking down the disheartening facts behind the state of higher education. They ask tough questions like what a student gets from having a four-year degree, whether distance education is teaching anything, how necessary tenure is, and why schools spend so much on athletics when they get only a modest return. Good suggestions are included, but even the authors seem to have a sense that little will change in academia anytime soon. Verdict: Anyone who has been to college or has children about to enroll should read this sometimes shocking and endlessly interesting account of the true state of academic affairs. Professors and those climbing the academic ladder should also use this to think about how they teach and how they fit into the giant academic system. --Library Journal
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