John Adams - billionaire industrialist, high-tech pioneer, war hero - lies dying of cancer at the age of 71. In the months before his death, Adams, through a series of letters to his lawyer, sketches a blueprint for the ideal American college. He will endow the college with his entire fortune, ensuring that his vision will become reality. This is the concept of An Education for Our Time the fictional story by Josiah Bunting. His main character in the book Adams's purpose: To train "virtuous and disinterested leaders" for a nation that needs them desperately, men and women "whose bent is to command not to chatter, to lead not to criticize, to serve not to whine, and to give rather than calculate the cost. The idea is, finally, not just an education for our time, but an education for all time, recreating the classical ideal of character, intellect, and action that America must rediscover to succeed in the next century
Eric Wilson’s Review: So if you were to fix the higher education what would you do. If you were to leave an unlimited amount of money to create the University of your Dreams what would it be and what would its guiding principles be. Bunting implores readers to think and restore an education that builds leaders, statesmen, and scholars. His clever use of literary device, remarkable depth of expression, and a compelling story line make this work even more appealing and a quite enjoyable read. This book does an excellent job outlining the idea and purpose of a liberal arts education. While this is a fictional universe that Bunting creates these are real ideas and solutions that face real problems and issues of today. I encourage anyone in education or concerned about a quality education for your children to read and think about what An Education for Our Time has to say.
