The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future by Mark BauerleinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Sure, the title is sensationalist. Sensationalism sells. I'm sure some the stats were tweaked a little to fit the author's needs, but that doesn't hide the fact that kids do indeed spend too much time doing frivolous things on the computer. I dog-eared 20+ pages of this book. It seemed the author said something powerful every other page.
I teach high school and yes, there are still kids out there that read. In fact, just last week a student of mine said she was going to start reading more because her aunt told her it would build her vocabulary. The book she chose? Jackie Collins' Poor Little Bitch Girl...but I will cut her some slack. At least she's reading something. Unfortunately, most of my students aren't reading at all.
We can't deny the fact that as a nation we spend billions on technology, and our test scores are still lackluster. Maybe we could learn from Finland. They spend less money and score better than the US (according to the Program for International Student Assessment.)
Most of the folks that have reviewed this book found it dry and not as strong toward the end. I found it quite the opposite. I thought it was a very strong ending...even if it did scare the hell out of me. I'm worried about my own self now. I spend way too much time on the computer and not enough time delving into books and visiting museums.
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