Rinku Sen

Who Killed the Why? Buy Andrea Batista Schlesinger’s Book to Find Out

Andrea Batista Schlesinger, a featured speaker at Facing Race 2008 and an ARC boardmember, has written her first book, The Death of Why: The Decline of Questioning and the Future of Democracy.

The ability to inquire deeply is the lifeblood of a great democracy, Andrea argues, and Americans have lost much of their questioning muscle in the age of the internet and standardized testing.

In chapters ranging from disappearing civics education to the myth of financial literacy (“No Piggybank Left Behind!”), Andrea teaches us the value of struggling with what we don’t know, so that we can think and act in ways that transport us outside of our conventional bubbles of so-called wisdom. The book is full of stories, both cautionary and inspiring.

Since Andrea blames me for coming up with the miserable notion that she should write a book, good sales among ARC friends will help heal our relationship.

Posted at 10:12 AM, Jun 10, 2009 in Permalink | View Comments