Four stars for sheer provocation. Whatever you think about Gatto's sometimes paranoid assertions, he really thinks outside the box, and he really believes in guerilla education. This is a different kind of empowerment. ( )

A compelling argument against the system of institutional schooling now in practice in the United States. John Gatto was voted Teacher of the Year in New York state 3 times so he is in a unique position to critize his former profession. He details the way in which American schooling has created a predictable, docile workforce for the past 150 years. He lists the ways in which each of us individually pays for this schooling through alienation from ourselves and society, to suffering through make-work jobs. He also details what he considers to be the attributes of real education. ( )