Reality Fiction

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
Riverhead Books, July 2, 2019

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Set in the fictional Front Range city of Crystal, Colorado, The Gifted School depicts four young couples vying for their children’s admission to a newly formed public school for gifted students, and their efforts to advantage their acceptance. Holsinger explores the vicarious ambitions that parents may hold for their children, the desperate lengths that some will go to realize them, and the devastating consequences that such over-involved parenting can have on children, friendships, and marriages. The Gifted School provides a literary complement to the real-world extremes of modern parenting as demonstrated by the recent “Operation Varsity Blues” college admissions scandal. The novel explores meritocracy, middle-age, privilege, parenting styles, and the challenging, complex dynamics of marriage and family that will most likely be familiar to many educators.