⭐⭐ The Closing of the American Mind by Bloom
| Full Title | The Closing of the American Mind |
| Authors | Allan Bloom |
| Year Published | 1987 |
| Date Read | June 16, 2025 |
| Rating | 2/5 stars |
| Retention | 9 Anki cards created |
I came to Bloom’s book with lofty expectations, having heard it referenced so often.
Parts I and III certainly offered some intriguing observations. Bloom’s comparison of American and European students, and his analysis of how our cultural norms have shaped education — long before today’s “woke” debates — provided some thought-provoking moments. If the book had ended there, it would have earned a solid 3 stars from me.
However, the journey was derailed by the sheer slog of Part II. This lengthy middle section felt less like a continuation of the argument and more like an exercise in academic peacocking, a showcase for the breadth of the author’s reading list. Its inclusion felt so extraneous that it ultimately soured the entire experience, knocking my rating down to a 2-star “would not recommend.”
If you feel compelled to read it for cultural literacy, do yourself a favor and skip Part II entirely.