A Review: The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure

Title of Work: The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting up a Generation for Failure
Author: Jonathan Haidt
Format:
Published: 2018
Started:
Finished: 2025-07-02\

Posted: Goodreads
Rating: 4/5

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Four stars for the content related to childhood development, educational environments, pedagogy, CBT, and mindfulness. Fairly brief/overview in these areas but practical examples and multiple solutions are generally suggested.

Three stars for content related to university social activism, orthodoxy and extremism in political discourse, and cultural polarization. Spent a lot of time circling around and around the main thesis as it relates to political and social activism, especially on college campuses in the US.

I tend to agree with other reviewers saying this would be more effective if it were more direct and concise. Still, I think an expansion of the original Atlantic article was worthwhile. Maybe just not quite so expansive.

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