The Bookshelf: Aug. 18, 2016

Trib+Edu is joining with respected books authority Kirkus Reviews to bring you select reviews of books of note in the field of education. For more book reviews and recommendations, visit Kirkus.com.

PAYING THE PRICE: College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream

by Sara Goldrick-Rab

Goldrick-Rab’s study … reveals a disturbing national trend. Because the federal aid system has changed little in the last 50 years and because scholarship programs like the Pell Grant have not kept up with the skyrocketing costs of college, young people from low- and middle-income families are grappling with increasingly difficult financial choices. … Despite the grim statistics, Goldrick-Rab believes that higher education can still be made more accessible by reforming the federal aid program, making true college costs clearer to incoming students, and creating a higher education system that offers the first degree for free. Bracing and well-argued, this study … serves as a warning that university study is rapidly becoming a privilege reserved for only the wealthy.

For the full review, visit kirkus.com.