Short Synopsis
From William Deresiewicz, author of the highly acclaimed A Jane Austen Education, comes a groundbreaking manifesto for people searching for the kind of insight on leading, thinking, and living that elite schools should be—but aren't—providing.

Full Synopsis
As a professor at Yale, William Deresiewicz saw something that troubled him deeply. His students, some of the nation's brightest minds, were adrift when it came to the big questions: how to think critically and creatively, and how to find a sense of purpose.

Excellent Sheep takes a sharp look at the high-pressure conveyor belt that begins with parents and counselors who demand perfect grades and culminates in the skewed applications Deresiewicz saw firsthand as a member of Yale's admissions committee. As schools shift focus from the humanities to "practical" subjects like economics and computer science, students are losing the ability to think in innovative ways. Deresiewicz explains how college should be a time for self-discovery, when students can establish their own values and measures of success, so they can forge their own path. He addresses parents, students, educators, and anyone who's interested in the direction of American society, featuring quotes from real students and graduates he has corresponded with over the years, candidly exposing where the system is broken and clearly presenting solutions.

"Reader Foster narrates Deresiewicz's jeremiad with a deep and engaging voice that commands listeners' attention and complements the weight of the overall argument." ---Publishers Weekly Audio Review

"An urgent summons to a long-overdue debate over what universities do and how they do it." ---Booklist Starred Review

"An unquestionably provocative book that hopefully leads to productive debate." ---Kirkus

New York Times Bestseller

Booklist Review