Early Decision audiobook

As of this writing, it’s two days till Pesach. I have a ton of cooking to do, not to mention some last touch-ups on cleaning, and yet I’ve done something utterly foolish and yet thoroughly pleasurable: I’ve let myself get addicted to a novel. I started it on Shabbos, continued through on Saturday till 1:00 in the morning, and when I woke up, instead of getting to my Pesach cleaning, I went right back to the novel until I finished it. And now, here I am, writing about it – though I made myself get two pots going on the stovetop first.The novel is about the college admissions process, which for me is always an emotional topic. My own first two years of college were absolutely nightmarish, so even though I am the middle-aged mom of a kid old enough to be applying for colleges himself right now (and isn’t because he’s in yeshiva instead), it takes very little to send me right back to my own pre-college process. Rare is the day that goes by without my thinking, “If only I’d taken Course X in high school and chosen College Y instead of University Z, perhaps my life now would be happier.” And yes, I know it’s foolish and even faithless to think that way. The point of this book – and I agree with it – is that if you don’t let other people run your life, you’ll become the person you’re meant to be no matter what college you attend.The protagonist of the book is Anne, a twenty-seven year old single woman who earns her living coaching high school seniors on composing their college entrance essays. As I learned from the non-fiction book on the admissions process, The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, these essays really do get read and are an important part of the evaluation process. The parents who typically hire Anne are wealthy and have high and often specific expectations for their kids. “Don’t tell me about any colleges I’ve never heard of,” one parent tells Anne. He wants his son at Amherst. Anne’s caseload is made of six students this season, five of whom have paying parents and one of whom is a potential scholarship student she’s volunteering to work with. The paying parents all have big dreams for their kids, but the kids have dreams of their own, and they don’t always conform to their parents’. How each one resolves (or fails to resolve) that conflict is the thread of the whole book, and you see their growth through their essays. While dealing with their pre-college issues, Anne is struggling with life’s next Big Decision: marriage. Since I’d just finished One Perfect Day: The Selling of the American Wedding, the parallels were clear to me. Just like marketing has created the Bridezilla culture, college marketing has created a culture of overbearing parents and overwhelmed kids. If anything, the college process is worse because it forces the kids to market themselves, and too often, the message they get is: “Sorry, kid, but you’re just not good enough for us.”I would highly recommend this book, along with the non-fictional The Gatekeepers: Inside the Admissions Process of a Premier College, to all parents and kids on the verge or in the midst of applying to college. The parents in this book are so over the top, anyone can laugh at them. But the main message is for the kids. You don’t have to go to Harvard to have a happy life.

I enjoyed this book much more than I expected to. There are several semi-interwoven storylines about the high school students Anne shepherds through the application process - but what ties them all together and elevates the book is the story about Anne. Like her charges, she is struggling with what to do next in her life, balancing the expectations of others with her own barely-discernible desires. I found myself riveted by the lyrical writing and wry humor, unwilling to put the book down until I got to the end.

Full disclosure: I received this book as a First Reads Goodreads giveaway, but this in no way affected my review.Anne is a college admissions counselor. She helps high seniors write and polish their personal essays. In this calendar year (actually the months prior to and including early decision for admission to elite colleges), she has five students of different calibers whom she tries to help. Most vacillate between their hidden, true selves and what their parents desire for them. Yet, Anne shares this same ambivalence with the students. Can she aid Sadie, Hunter, William, Alexis, and Cristina as well as herself? Further, can she satisfy the parents who are paying her for her expertise?Watching these five individuals discover their own voices through their various drafts is sometimes sad, humorous, and even empowering. As I read this novel, I alternately reflected on my own children's choices and what I hoped for them vs. what they might have desired for themselves. Moreover, I am glad that I don't have anyone of that age to worry over any more at least in this regard.

I saw this at the South Pasadena Library, home base for many a Tiger mother. I had to read it. I didn't know what to make of the narrative at the start -- it felt a bit too much like memoir to read as fiction. But then the characters and the plot took on their own life. The book was unusual, unpredictable and engaging. And the "early decision" frenzy felt all-too real.

I chose this book because I am a fan of college admission novels. Competition is always more difficult on the east coast in comparison with what our three children went through coming from Arizona and getting into fine universities. This book did not disappoint.

Prior to reading this, I read some of the reviews, most of which were lukewarm at best. Now that I'm finished, I'm reminded of why I usually don't read reviews (of anything). I'm not sure what struck the naysayers as negative about this book -- although some seemed to indicated some kind of expectation that it was supposed to be a nonfiction intro to the world of college admissions instead of a novel -- but I really enjoyed it. I found Crawford's characters to be true and quite well-drawn, especially the teenagers. With a few tweaks, I could be Anne; dial down the wealth and Ivies a tad and Crawford could be writing about my own experiences in my early teaching career working with students on their college essays and dealing with their parents' expectations. She is absolutely spot-on with her characterization of teenagers and their struggle to write engaging, sincere personal essays, as she is with her narrative insight on the difficulties (for all of us) with telling the truth. My only regret about this book is that basically Crawford has written a novel I've had in my head for years.

Usually, I rate books 3 stars as "I enjoyed it, but easily forgettable". I rated this book 4 stars because I found myself thinking about certain issues raised. This book visited a time in my past where wondering and worrying about college admissions was an important part of being a mom. This book mentions The Common Application which is new to me and the Essay. I liked how the author explained how the main character honed the essays from the students to get to their true voice. I felt badly for the children who appeared to be manipulated by their parents to satisfy their own needs and not listening to their kids. There were some plot points that where not very strong, and one resolution that didn't really make sense. But overall, I found it an interesting journey.

OK, so I started this book with pretty low expectations. I was pleasantly surprised. As we watch the college admissions scandal involving rich celebrities, this book became more relevant, even as it was predicable, spotlighting the inequities in the system. But I thought the writing was solid and the protagonist likable in her flaws. It helped that I spent 25 years as a secondary English teacher who, every fall, sat with kids in agony over their application essays while I was also their teacher recommendations.

If your child is soon applying to college, get this book! This is the book I would have written about the process. In one way, a manual, in another, a cautionary tale. LOVED it. Real, introspective, revealing; a la The Breakfast Club (the movie) tempered with a knowing grown-up's eye who has just been through it herself from both sides. The writer expertly straddles the line between the somewhat clueless and removed adults to the eager yet rightly suspicious applicants. A salve to families going through the college application process.

This is basically a fictional version of "The Gatekeepers" so of course I ate it up! Based on the cover and description I expected this to be more of a light beach read so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was deeper than I thought it would be. Lacy Crawford took her experience as an independent college counselor and turned it into a very enjoyable read that I relate to all too well. The essays in particular were both painful and beautiful to read. All in all a great book!

I see a lot of lesser ratings than mine, but I think this book is worth the time to read and contemplate how we handle college admissions. I thought the writing was good, the kids and parents believable (though sad in most cases). I have recommended it to my daughter, whose son will be applying to colleges next year.

I liked this one, although I also found myself shuddering at the thought of the college application process looming in a few short years. It’s a good story of entitled children with wealthy parents trying to do more than necessary to plan their 4 years of higher education.

I read this right on the heels of Jean H Korelitz's Admission, so I guess college admission plots are calling to me right now. Loved this book, even though it also gave me a panicky little glimpse into how out of control the whole process can get.