August 30, 2000
Reading Bobos in Paradise, by Reading Bobos in Paradise, by David Brooks. So far (a hundred pages in or so) it's a fascinating look at the effect of a 1950s decision by the heads of the Ivy League schools to unseat the reigning Protestant Establishment aristocracy and install a meritocracy in its place. Lots of ideas and perspectives I never heard of before, and even if it turns into a pale imitation of Paul Fussell's Class, or the Yuppie Handbook, it looks like the first couple of chapters will be worth mining for original sources. (Note to self: get The Big Test, The Power Elite, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life, and The Protestant Establishment) Posted by schampeo at August 30, 2000 11:59 PM