THE OVERACHIEVERS: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids, by Alexandra RobbinsNonfiction. New York Times investigative journalist and bestselling author, Alexandra Robbins, presents objective, eye-opening portraits of eight college-bound kids in the pressure-cooker of a competitive high school. AP classes, elite sports teams, extra-curricular obligations, college applications, social stresses, and striving for 2400 on the SATs combine to make the ‘carefree days of youth’ a living hell. The price is high: there are physical, psychological, and family consequences on account of the gross imbalance in the lives of these young people; and the saddest part is, their families are, for the most part, more than willing to sacrifice the emotional well-being of their kids at the altar of the Admissions Office (Ivies preferred, of course). You know these kids. You may have one of these kids. You may have been one of these kids. Honest, horrifying, heart-breaking. A must-read. --Kathy K.
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2 comments:
This book sounds exactly like what I'm going through. College is stressful, but if you can find healthy ways to deal with the pressure, everything turns out for the best. I will be sure to read this.
On a related note, check out this article at the New York Times: The Incredibles.
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