Books on Tap met August 3 at Beer Run to discuss The Gifted School (published 2019) by local resident and UVA professor Bruce W. Holsinger. One of our members has a personal connection to Professor Holsinger as she is a former student of his. For some attendees this was a re-read, as Central Library’s Brown Baggers read this title January 2021 during Covid times, with the author visiting for part of the discussion, via Zoom. To read a debrief of that discussion, with insights from the author, click here. 

A magnet school is opening in a small, fairly interwoven, community and parents are heavily invested in their children being selected for the school. Competition among parents, siblings, and friends creates tension and rifts, including exposure of a long hidden secret. The book encapsulates current trends as parents are cheating, lying, and getting special coaches so that their children can get into the “right” schools and universities. 

The audiobook version was recommended by one attendee, who enjoyed that format and reported that different voices were used for the different main characters. She felt more invested in the characters and wondered if there might be a sequel. Where would these characters be in five years? Others were not so keen to follow in their footsteps and most would not be interested in reading a sequel.

Our discussion included helicopter parents; are these parents over involved/invested in their children’s futures? These types of parents are also often overly involved in their child’s school.  Does this style of parenting help or hurt children in their efforts to succeed and be independent? The overwhelming opinion of the group was that it is detrimental to a child’s growth and development. What does gifted mean? Attendees felt that “gifted” is not limited to academics; there are many areas where students can excel: sports, dance, music, art. It seems like every parent feels their child is gifted. Is this pressure from parents and society hurting our children’s mental and physical health? 

Historically, gifted track education has been a tactic to separate or segregate students; once on a track, it is often hard to get off or on. The most important thing should be that the students enjoy what they are doing. Having opportunities without the threat of perfectionist parents is ideal. 

Other books mentioned:

The Displacements by Bruce W. Holsinger

Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld

Dear Committee Members by Julie Schumacher

Old School: A Novel by Tobias Wolff

Upcoming titles:

October 5: Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

November 2: The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

December 7: The Giant’s House by Elizabeth McCracken

January 4: Violeta by Isabel Allende

February 1: How Long ‘Til Black Future Month? By N. K. Jemisin

March 7: Same Page Selection

April 4: The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey

May 2: All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy

June 6: Solito: A Memoir by Javier Zamora