In the Basement of the Ivory Tower

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In the Basement of the Ivory Tower
InTheBasementOfTheIvoryTower.jpg
AuthorProfessor X
PublisherViking Adult
Publication date
2011
ISBN 978-0-670-02256-4

In the Basement of the Ivory Tower: Confessions of an Accidental Academic is a 2011 book by an adjunct professor of English, who writes under the pen name Professor X. It is based on an Atlantic Monthly article of the same title. [1] "Professor X teaches at a private college and at a community college in the northeastern United States" [2] and argues that "The idea that a university education is for everyone is a destructive myth." [1]

Contents

Reception

The Christian Science Monitor praised Professor X, saying "the man can write", but criticized the book as "padded" from "a powerful essay". [3] The New York Times praised the book as "a clear-eyed report from what the author calls 'the college of last resort'” but also criticizes its length. [4] The New Yorker wrote of the author that "he’s smart and he’s generally good company", but criticized his personal details as "too vague to be engaging." [5] In 2011 the Atlantic posted a follow-up essay from Professor X, in which he responded to feedback on his ideas but not criticism of his book. [6]

Reviews

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower - Magazine". The Atlantic. June 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  2. "Professor X - Authors". The Atlantic. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2011-05-17.
  3. 1 2 "In the Basement of the Ivory Tower". CSMonitor.com. 2011-03-24. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  4. 1 2 Garner, Dwight (April 5, 2011). "An Academic Hit Man Brings More Bad News". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  5. 1 2 Menand, Louis (30 May 2011). "Live And Learn". The New Yorker.
  6. X, Professor (March 31, 2011). "An Anti-College Backlash?". The Atlantic.
  7. Crain, Caleb (April 29, 2011). "Lost in the Meritocracy". The New York Times via NYTimes.com.
  8. ""In the Basement of the Ivory Tower," by Professor X, is about the current state of American higher education". The Washington Post. 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2011-05-18.
  9. "Book Review: 'In the Basement of the Ivory Tower' by Professor X". Los Angeles Times. April 17, 2011.
  10. "Our Growing Higher Ed Crisis: Making Myths In the Basement of the Ivory Tower". The Millions. 28 April 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-18.