Walter Kirn

  I wanted to find out what others thought.

  a cognizant original v5 release october 08 2010

  DOUBLEDAY

  Copyright © 2009 by Walter Kirn, Inc.

  All Rights Reserved

  Published in the United States by Doubleday, a division of

  Random House, Inc., New York.

  www.doubleday.com

  The author and publisher gratefully acknowledge the Atlantic

  and the New York Times “Education Life,” in which parts of

  this book were originally published.

  DOUBLEDAY and the DD colophon are registered trademarks

  of Random House, Inc.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Kirn, Walter, 1962–

  Lost in the meritocracy : the undereducation of an overachiever / by Walter Kirn.

  —1st ed.

  p. cm.

  1. Kirn, Walter, 1962—Childhood and youth. 2. Authors, American—20th century—Biography. 3. Authors, American—21st century—Biography. 4. Students—United States— Biography. I. Title.

  PS3561.I746Z46 2009

  813‵.54—dc22

  [B]

  2008051075

  eISBN: 978-0-385-52926-6

  v3.0