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Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises
A riveting investigation into a school, a scam, and a notorious college admissions scandal that exposes the inequalities and racial segregation of American education, from two award-winning New York Times journalists
T.M. Landry College Prep, a small private school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, boasted a 100-percent college acceptance rate, placing students at nearly every Ivy League college in the country. The spectacle of Landry students opening their acceptance letters to Harvard and Stanford was broadcast on CBS This Morning, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Today, and even celebrated by Michelle Obama. It was a ritual to watch the miraculous success of these youngsters—miraculous because Breaux Bridge is one of the poorest counties in the country, ranked close to the bottom for test scores and high school graduation. T.M. Landry was said to be “minting prodigies,” and the prodigies were often Black.
How did the school do it? They didn’t—it was a scam, pulled off with fake records and fake letters of recommendation, and above all, personal essays telling fake stories of triumph over adversity. Worse: Landry’s success concealed a nightmare of abuse and coercion. In a years-long investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green explored the students, the school, the town, and Ivy League admissions to understand why Black students were pressured to trade a racial stereotype of hardship for opportunity.
Gripping and illuminating, Miracle Children argues that the lesson of T.M. Landry is not that the school gamed the system, but that it played by the rules, enabled by segregated schools, inequitable education and belief that elite colleges are the nation’s last path to life-changing economic opportunity.
T.M. Landry College Prep, a small private school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, boasted a 100-percent college acceptance rate, placing students at nearly every Ivy League college in the country. The spectacle of Landry students opening their acceptance letters to Harvard and Stanford was broadcast on CBS This Morning, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Today, and even celebrated by Michelle Obama. It was a ritual to watch the miraculous success of these youngsters—miraculous because Breaux Bridge is one of the poorest counties in the country, ranked close to the bottom for test scores and high school graduation. T.M. Landry was said to be “minting prodigies,” and the prodigies were often Black.
How did the school do it? They didn’t—it was a scam, pulled off with fake records and fake letters of recommendation, and above all, personal essays telling fake stories of triumph over adversity. Worse: Landry’s success concealed a nightmare of abuse and coercion. In a years-long investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green explored the students, the school, the town, and Ivy League admissions to understand why Black students were pressured to trade a racial stereotype of hardship for opportunity.
Gripping and illuminating, Miracle Children argues that the lesson of T.M. Landry is not that the school gamed the system, but that it played by the rules, enabled by segregated schools, inequitable education and belief that elite colleges are the nation’s last path to life-changing economic opportunity.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published January 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
January 14, 2026
This is a well researched piece of investigative journalism. The fascinating subject of the TM Landry scandal in Breaux Bridge, LA. The way the book is organized by first taking a look at racism, the clear division of class, and the inequality that exists in the south. Blocking opportunities for people of color to a higher education and a pathway to a higher economic future. A perfect setup for the rest of this compelling read.
Tracy and Mike Landry opened a school that promised Ivy League scholarships to less fortunate black students. They came through with that promise and made national headlines. The Landrys “were selling to the colleges this perfect-package student, and to the parents, they were selling hope.” Let me tell you that I couldn’t put the book down as it was revealed the tactics involved for the promise of acceptance to the Ivy League. It was brutal how the kids were treated and TM Landry continued to operate unchecked. I was aghast that the parents didn’t set off alarm bells at this unaccredited, unstructured institution. There are no winners here.
After reading about the hardships, challenges, and determination of some of the students, ‘where are they now’ at the end was a nice addition. Although, it’s despicable that Mike and Tracy slipped through the cracks.
Thank you Katie Benner, Erica L. Green , NetGalley and Metropolitan Books for an early copy.
Tracy and Mike Landry opened a school that promised Ivy League scholarships to less fortunate black students. They came through with that promise and made national headlines. The Landrys “were selling to the colleges this perfect-package student, and to the parents, they were selling hope.” Let me tell you that I couldn’t put the book down as it was revealed the tactics involved for the promise of acceptance to the Ivy League. It was brutal how the kids were treated and TM Landry continued to operate unchecked. I was aghast that the parents didn’t set off alarm bells at this unaccredited, unstructured institution. There are no winners here.
After reading about the hardships, challenges, and determination of some of the students, ‘where are they now’ at the end was a nice addition. Although, it’s despicable that Mike and Tracy slipped through the cracks.
Thank you Katie Benner, Erica L. Green , NetGalley and Metropolitan Books for an early copy.
January 12, 2026
Worthy story, but the organization, storytelling, and writing leaves something to be desired. Once again, I realize that while the facts and sources are there, a reporter’s work doesn’t always translate well in a full-sized book. (This started from the reporters’ investigative work for the New York Times.) The writing lacks flow and narrative: we’ll be hearing about historical aspects of civil rights history, then swing back to the students’ stories, then get a side tangent about Reagan policies and the Moynihan Report within the same page. I liked learning about the kids, found it interesting to read about unconventional and unaccredited schools and how they have proliferated, learned more about Louisiana. I thought how this book delved into what colleges are looking for (underdog stories and Angela Duckworth’s Grit) was fascinating: college admissions are a big part of the problem to be honest. But I didn’t feel super invested in the myriad of families (needed better focus by the authors) and wished I liked this more.
December 20, 2025
This was so good! This piece of investigative journalism tells the story of The T.M. Landry College Prep School in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana. Founded by Mike and Tracey Landry, this school benefitted from its success as a pipeline for Black kids to get into Ivy League universities. However, everything they did was a fraud, and some of the stories will shock you. This was so well-researched and reported, not only on the school itself but about racial inequality in education—both the facts and the myths—as well as affirmative action and admissions practices in higher education. The first part of the book is more technical with the overview of racism, but as we get more into the story of the school and the kids, I was hooked. I’m also so excited to see that this was written by women of color, both reporters with the New York Times.
Many thanks to @metropolitan books and @netgalley for this ARC. My thoughts are my own.
Many thanks to @metropolitan books and @netgalley for this ARC. My thoughts are my own.
2026
September 4, 2025📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Metropolitan Books
February 1, 2026
Katie Benner and Erica Green are New York Times investigative journalists who've spent years investigating the rise and dramatic fall of the now-defunct T.M. Landry College Preparatory in Louisiana (see this 2018 NYT video they co-produced when the scandal first broke). Benner and Green's 2026 book Miracle Children is a book-length account of their investigation along with updates about many of the key players in this story.
Michael and Tracey Landry founded the eponymously-named and unaccredited T.M. Landry in 2005 as a homeschool venture; neither Landry had teaching credentials or experience. The Landrys' motives were a mixture of well-intentioned (wanting to give disadvantaged Black students a better shot), poorly-conceptualized (lack of credentials and resources to achieve the former aim), Machiavellian (falsifying students' transcripts, essays, and qualifications to achieve their aims), and self-aggrandizing (desire for personal fame and wealth). The school operated in a highly unconventional way, being run out of a trailer and then an unfurnished warehouse, eschewing traditional classes and homework, resorting to Youtube videos for elementary education and a myopic focus on ACT test prep for high school education, and subjecting many of the students to mental, emotional, and physical abuse and punishment by Michael Landry. Meanwhile, Michael Landry worked hard on cultivating a golden image to influential folks at prestigious universities, leading to many T.M. Landry students being accepted by these elite colleges, whether or not they could actually afford them or were adequately academically prepared for rigorous majors.
Benner and Green do a nice job here in explaining the layers of moral ambiguity of this situation in the broad scheme of the increasingly competitive college admissions scene in the US and the lengths schools, teachers, and parents go to boost their kids' chances of securing acceptances (see also: Nicole LaPorte's Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies behind the College Cheating Scandal on the Varsity Blues scandal that broke around the same time). There are many holes in the proverbial Swiss cheese that led to the T.M. Landry scandal, some of which were systemic flaws and others created by the Landrys themselves, and in the end, the kids paid the price.
My statistics:
Book 30 for 2026
Book 2336 cumulatively
Michael and Tracey Landry founded the eponymously-named and unaccredited T.M. Landry in 2005 as a homeschool venture; neither Landry had teaching credentials or experience. The Landrys' motives were a mixture of well-intentioned (wanting to give disadvantaged Black students a better shot), poorly-conceptualized (lack of credentials and resources to achieve the former aim), Machiavellian (falsifying students' transcripts, essays, and qualifications to achieve their aims), and self-aggrandizing (desire for personal fame and wealth). The school operated in a highly unconventional way, being run out of a trailer and then an unfurnished warehouse, eschewing traditional classes and homework, resorting to Youtube videos for elementary education and a myopic focus on ACT test prep for high school education, and subjecting many of the students to mental, emotional, and physical abuse and punishment by Michael Landry. Meanwhile, Michael Landry worked hard on cultivating a golden image to influential folks at prestigious universities, leading to many T.M. Landry students being accepted by these elite colleges, whether or not they could actually afford them or were adequately academically prepared for rigorous majors.
Benner and Green do a nice job here in explaining the layers of moral ambiguity of this situation in the broad scheme of the increasingly competitive college admissions scene in the US and the lengths schools, teachers, and parents go to boost their kids' chances of securing acceptances (see also: Nicole LaPorte's Guilty Admissions: The Bribes, Favors, and Phonies behind the College Cheating Scandal on the Varsity Blues scandal that broke around the same time). There are many holes in the proverbial Swiss cheese that led to the T.M. Landry scandal, some of which were systemic flaws and others created by the Landrys themselves, and in the end, the kids paid the price.
My statistics:
Book 30 for 2026
Book 2336 cumulatively
February 10, 2026
Finally done. 4 stars. It was a solid narrative that really did well on highlighting the stories of the students, parents and staff at T.M. Landry Prep and the issues underlying so much inequities in education for Black students, but I found this wasn't as organized or sequential as I hoped.
November 23, 2025
Thanks to Goodreads for the free copy of this from one of their giveaways. This book expends some jaw-dropping reporting from the two authors, NYT reporters, about a college prep school (TM Landry) in Louisiana that seemed to get amazing results (including Ivy League college acceptances) for their pupils. Their early successes earn them laudatory national media and connections with trustees and Deans at the US's most elite institutions. But the promises were a house of cards. The married couple who founded the school (neither of whom had degrees in education or prior teaching experience) ran the school as essentially an ACT prep machine, and relied on heavily falsified letters, personal essays, and extra-curricular to gain selective admissions. The school itself had disturbing, cultish aspects; the principal would humiliate students to keep them submissive, and even briefly choked or strangled a couple students who were resistant to his methods.
Because this school is in Louisiana, and because the couple (Mike and Tracey Landry) and most of the students are black, this subject is particularly freighted. Where Mike Landry is most compelling in this book is where he accurately points out the ways in which K-12 and higher education routinely fail black students. Poorly funded public schools provide insufficient resources, black students (particularly black men) are disciplined and suspended in school more frequently and more harshly than their white counterparts, and highly selective colleges and universities are clubby and insular. The authors insert a few chapters into this book paying attention to this context and history. The school drew families and students for compelling reasons; many parents and students describe the culture of the school, and the emphasis on pride and ambition, as exciting and enervating. Some of their early success is a matter of good recruiting; the Landrys succeed in attracting several superb late teenagers who were already on track to get admitted to highly selective schools.
All of this makes the bait and switch more painful, almost unbearable, to read. Students who were mostly educated at TM Landry gained attendance to highly selective schools and then struggled, because their education was so limited to cramming for the ACT. Parents became suspicious, had their kids tested, and discovered they were multiple grade levels behind. The articles in the Times, published in late 2018, led to the school's unraveling (but stunningly, no federal charges despite what seems like obvious evidence of fraud).
The authors center the students' voices, interests, and experiences in an unjust system. Many of the graduates of Landry find their own paths to flourishing, and their reflections on their time at Landry are thoughtful and varied. As compelling a read as this way, I wanted just a bit more in this book about what it reveals about the deep cynicism at the heart of the path to highly selective universities. The book opens with DuBois' famous line about double consciousness, and one of Mike Landry's most astute arguments throughout this book is that admissions officers are looking for stories and trauma; they are interested in heartwarming stories of grit and endurance, and he will package that for these students' success (even at the cost of inventing drug-addicted parents and the like). But given that this charade was uncovered shortly before the Varsity Blues scandal, which mostly benefited already highly privileged white kids, and given that neither scandal seems to have done anything to challenge the ecosystem and incentive structure for elite universities, this is a dispiriting book to finish. It seems likely that the next iteration of this scandal is probably underway.
Because this school is in Louisiana, and because the couple (Mike and Tracey Landry) and most of the students are black, this subject is particularly freighted. Where Mike Landry is most compelling in this book is where he accurately points out the ways in which K-12 and higher education routinely fail black students. Poorly funded public schools provide insufficient resources, black students (particularly black men) are disciplined and suspended in school more frequently and more harshly than their white counterparts, and highly selective colleges and universities are clubby and insular. The authors insert a few chapters into this book paying attention to this context and history. The school drew families and students for compelling reasons; many parents and students describe the culture of the school, and the emphasis on pride and ambition, as exciting and enervating. Some of their early success is a matter of good recruiting; the Landrys succeed in attracting several superb late teenagers who were already on track to get admitted to highly selective schools.
All of this makes the bait and switch more painful, almost unbearable, to read. Students who were mostly educated at TM Landry gained attendance to highly selective schools and then struggled, because their education was so limited to cramming for the ACT. Parents became suspicious, had their kids tested, and discovered they were multiple grade levels behind. The articles in the Times, published in late 2018, led to the school's unraveling (but stunningly, no federal charges despite what seems like obvious evidence of fraud).
The authors center the students' voices, interests, and experiences in an unjust system. Many of the graduates of Landry find their own paths to flourishing, and their reflections on their time at Landry are thoughtful and varied. As compelling a read as this way, I wanted just a bit more in this book about what it reveals about the deep cynicism at the heart of the path to highly selective universities. The book opens with DuBois' famous line about double consciousness, and one of Mike Landry's most astute arguments throughout this book is that admissions officers are looking for stories and trauma; they are interested in heartwarming stories of grit and endurance, and he will package that for these students' success (even at the cost of inventing drug-addicted parents and the like). But given that this charade was uncovered shortly before the Varsity Blues scandal, which mostly benefited already highly privileged white kids, and given that neither scandal seems to have done anything to challenge the ecosystem and incentive structure for elite universities, this is a dispiriting book to finish. It seems likely that the next iteration of this scandal is probably underway.
January 25, 2026
This story broke my teacher heart.
Really well written and researched.
Really well written and researched.
January 16, 2026
I received an E-ARC from Netgalley in exchange for this honest review.
Miracle Children is a wild story about TM Landry—a school in rural Louisiana that was founded on the idea that all kids (especially poor, black kids) can get into top universities throughout the United States. Sounds heartwarming right? Unfortunately, it wasn’t. TM Landry ended up being the ultimate education scam—ripe with abuse, lies and controversy.
While the book’s synopsis caught my eye, the book struggled to keep my attention. I could tell this book was an article that was then optioned for a book. It felt like there was a lot of “fluff” added in to make this story the length of a typical nonfiction book.
Still, it’s definitely a story that needs to be told and made me think a lot about college admissions and educational opportunities for all.
Miracle Children is a wild story about TM Landry—a school in rural Louisiana that was founded on the idea that all kids (especially poor, black kids) can get into top universities throughout the United States. Sounds heartwarming right? Unfortunately, it wasn’t. TM Landry ended up being the ultimate education scam—ripe with abuse, lies and controversy.
While the book’s synopsis caught my eye, the book struggled to keep my attention. I could tell this book was an article that was then optioned for a book. It felt like there was a lot of “fluff” added in to make this story the length of a typical nonfiction book.
Still, it’s definitely a story that needs to be told and made me think a lot about college admissions and educational opportunities for all.
January 13, 2026
11/14 (catch-up)
Thank you to Harper Perennial for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book so eye-opening, and the research was incredible. Not only did Bennet and Green share a story exposing predominantly White elite universities, they also shared a story exposing a Black couple for exploiting their community. We exploit minorities so frequently that we don’t even realize these “success” stories are part of the problem. We’re constantly feeding into the narrative that America love a minority underdog story, but we don’t stop to think that America is also keeping a foot on the necks of minorities.
Thank you to Harper Perennial for this free copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book so eye-opening, and the research was incredible. Not only did Bennet and Green share a story exposing predominantly White elite universities, they also shared a story exposing a Black couple for exploiting their community. We exploit minorities so frequently that we don’t even realize these “success” stories are part of the problem. We’re constantly feeding into the narrative that America love a minority underdog story, but we don’t stop to think that America is also keeping a foot on the necks of minorities.
February 3, 2026
This story is pretty wild, but the author does a great job of providing historical and systemic reasons as to how a scandal like this can happen. Without giving spoilers, I’ll just say that the outcome of this scandal is equally shocking to me.
January 20, 2026
This was heartbreaking in many ways. I was living in Canada when this story broke and I barely remember reading about this. This covers the T.M. Landry College Prep scandal in great detail. What’s more, this covers the relevant history of education for Black students in Louisiana which of course touches on the history of segregation and the fall out from Hurricane Katrina. This is about so much more than just the scandal associated with the school.
I’m a proud graduate of Detroit Public Schools. I’ve never met anyone from any nation who had as rigorous of a high school education as I did at M.L.King High School. I was part of a special program and in 4 yrs of high school I completed: 5 yrs of math classes (1 yr I had 2 math classes), 4 yrs of English lit, 4 yrs of science starting with Biology, no high school science, math started with algebra and included calculus. I took 4 yrs of 2 languages: French & Chinese. I took so many hard rigorous subjects that I tested out of math & science at University. I tested out of all basic classes. I was lucky enough to be part of a special program that was fully funded by Chrysler and I think my program was overseen by a local university, maybe State, Michigan or Eastern which was a teachers college at the time. My school predated the “charter” school phenomenon that’s currently ruining public education. My school was overseen by the regular DPS system. So it wasn’t funded like modern Charters as a competitor to regular public schools. Still, it was heavily ruled by Respectability Politics and Joe Clark (from the movie Lean on Me) style discipline. I find that treatment deeply antiblack. It’s often employed by Black educators which makes it that much more difficult to manage.
By the time my daughter was old enough for school, school uniforms had taken over all public & charter schools that had majority Black student bodies. I found it deeply antiblack especially as school shootings were on the rise in schools with primarily white student bodies. As the extreme shootings rose in these schools, still Black student bodies were viewed as needing school “resource” officers and uniforms. It’s thinly veiled racism. I add my own history to express how accurate this research was and how grateful I am that it is finally being discussed.
This explores how informal segregation works in the US and how it impacts schools and students. How white supremacists were able to skirt around the Brown v. Board of Education ruling to keep segregation intact. It worked, the US is more segregated now than during formal legal segregation. This covers how this happened, why it happened, how it is maintained, why it is maintained and efforts by Black folks to try to correct this injustice. This is a powerful education.
At the same time this absolutely tells the story of the students harmed by the Landry’s often in their own words. This is both educational and deeply heartbreaking. I maintain and will always main that books like this make the case for reparations all on their own. The history of racism and its extremely long arm of impact and harm can not be denied in the face of this groundbreaking research.
This audiobook is narrated by Christopher Ian Grant. Christopher does a wonderful job keeping everything moving with this fascinating and heartbreaking narrative. His voice is rich and textured which helps to hold the consumers interest.
Thank you to Katie Benner, Erica L. Green, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
I’m a proud graduate of Detroit Public Schools. I’ve never met anyone from any nation who had as rigorous of a high school education as I did at M.L.King High School. I was part of a special program and in 4 yrs of high school I completed: 5 yrs of math classes (1 yr I had 2 math classes), 4 yrs of English lit, 4 yrs of science starting with Biology, no high school science, math started with algebra and included calculus. I took 4 yrs of 2 languages: French & Chinese. I took so many hard rigorous subjects that I tested out of math & science at University. I tested out of all basic classes. I was lucky enough to be part of a special program that was fully funded by Chrysler and I think my program was overseen by a local university, maybe State, Michigan or Eastern which was a teachers college at the time. My school predated the “charter” school phenomenon that’s currently ruining public education. My school was overseen by the regular DPS system. So it wasn’t funded like modern Charters as a competitor to regular public schools. Still, it was heavily ruled by Respectability Politics and Joe Clark (from the movie Lean on Me) style discipline. I find that treatment deeply antiblack. It’s often employed by Black educators which makes it that much more difficult to manage.
By the time my daughter was old enough for school, school uniforms had taken over all public & charter schools that had majority Black student bodies. I found it deeply antiblack especially as school shootings were on the rise in schools with primarily white student bodies. As the extreme shootings rose in these schools, still Black student bodies were viewed as needing school “resource” officers and uniforms. It’s thinly veiled racism. I add my own history to express how accurate this research was and how grateful I am that it is finally being discussed.
This explores how informal segregation works in the US and how it impacts schools and students. How white supremacists were able to skirt around the Brown v. Board of Education ruling to keep segregation intact. It worked, the US is more segregated now than during formal legal segregation. This covers how this happened, why it happened, how it is maintained, why it is maintained and efforts by Black folks to try to correct this injustice. This is a powerful education.
At the same time this absolutely tells the story of the students harmed by the Landry’s often in their own words. This is both educational and deeply heartbreaking. I maintain and will always main that books like this make the case for reparations all on their own. The history of racism and its extremely long arm of impact and harm can not be denied in the face of this groundbreaking research.
This audiobook is narrated by Christopher Ian Grant. Christopher does a wonderful job keeping everything moving with this fascinating and heartbreaking narrative. His voice is rich and textured which helps to hold the consumers interest.
Thank you to Katie Benner, Erica L. Green, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.
February 7, 2026
Really wonderful storytelling and reporting by Benner and Green, both the history of school integration and the soft bigotry of white liberals. I don't think people really understand the history of school integration beyond images of Ruby or the Little Rock Nine. The joke about white people voting against air is not just a joke. As evidenced now, they will destroy this country before they give Black people their due. The North is no paradise and cry all you guys want but I will NEVER set foot South farther than VA. I will never shed a tear for white southerners.
I think this book showed that at the end of the day, children are only as successful as their circumstances. Many children of different backgrounds attended this school, and in the end, they all ended up where they would have ended up regardless of T.M. Landry. Or course a student who came from a highly educated family with active parents was less likely to be knock off course by the chaos of that school than the children who were the first in their family to go to college or who has more instability.
Without the buffers of extra support services to provide true equity, it is not the prestige of the curriculum, or the schools connection to recruiters that will make the difference, if family and parents do not understand the application process or financial aid, or if worse, as evidenced by the book, there isn't the structure or support to get a student through the last eight (EIGHT!!) months of school before graduation. It makes me question what a school is for, and what other resources are needed where because a school cannot be everything but all the other social inequalities are magnified in a school setting.
That said, the parents bear a lot of the responsibility. You are not reading with your child? You don't do flashcards with your child? No matter their career or personal history, this book just proves how disengaged parents are in their children's education. Truly they did less than the bare minimum but some of there parents who doctors and lawyers. Parents do not care about what happens in school so long as they get their kid into college. THIS is why the reading and math scores are going down. Parents only care about a school reputation, but a reputation is just a reputation.
I really enjoyed Miracle Children and the work the authors did to deconstruct how racism and white supremacy made it all possible. I highly recommend this book for a deeper understanding of school segregation and the systems that perpetuate it.
I think this book showed that at the end of the day, children are only as successful as their circumstances. Many children of different backgrounds attended this school, and in the end, they all ended up where they would have ended up regardless of T.M. Landry. Or course a student who came from a highly educated family with active parents was less likely to be knock off course by the chaos of that school than the children who were the first in their family to go to college or who has more instability.
Without the buffers of extra support services to provide true equity, it is not the prestige of the curriculum, or the schools connection to recruiters that will make the difference, if family and parents do not understand the application process or financial aid, or if worse, as evidenced by the book, there isn't the structure or support to get a student through the last eight (EIGHT!!) months of school before graduation. It makes me question what a school is for, and what other resources are needed where because a school cannot be everything but all the other social inequalities are magnified in a school setting.
That said, the parents bear a lot of the responsibility. You are not reading with your child? You don't do flashcards with your child? No matter their career or personal history, this book just proves how disengaged parents are in their children's education. Truly they did less than the bare minimum but some of there parents who doctors and lawyers. Parents do not care about what happens in school so long as they get their kid into college. THIS is why the reading and math scores are going down. Parents only care about a school reputation, but a reputation is just a reputation.
I really enjoyed Miracle Children and the work the authors did to deconstruct how racism and white supremacy made it all possible. I highly recommend this book for a deeper understanding of school segregation and the systems that perpetuate it.
Read
January 3, 2026Special thanks to NetGalley for providing this ARC.
I chose to review this ARC originally as a continuing education read. What I got from it was so much more than I could have ever anticipated.
As I sit here reflecting on the book and the uncomfortableness it has caused. All I can think of is just how did Mike and Tracey get away with this, and where are they now?
The magnitude of psychological, physical, and educational abuse that these young students were subjected to all for the hope of getting into IVY League Schools is abhorrent!
I feel like this is an extremely informative read, even though it crushed my soul. I hope that in time these young people are able to heal from the trauma of their educational leaders, and find a way to grow and succeed in their lives. There’s no education worth sacrificing your health and wellbeing for. Ever.
I would recommend this to fellow educators, career/life coaches, tutors, sociologist, therapists, and parents of young students.
I chose to review this ARC originally as a continuing education read. What I got from it was so much more than I could have ever anticipated.
As I sit here reflecting on the book and the uncomfortableness it has caused. All I can think of is just how did Mike and Tracey get away with this, and where are they now?
The magnitude of psychological, physical, and educational abuse that these young students were subjected to all for the hope of getting into IVY League Schools is abhorrent!
I feel like this is an extremely informative read, even though it crushed my soul. I hope that in time these young people are able to heal from the trauma of their educational leaders, and find a way to grow and succeed in their lives. There’s no education worth sacrificing your health and wellbeing for. Ever.
I would recommend this to fellow educators, career/life coaches, tutors, sociologist, therapists, and parents of young students.
January 10, 2026
Thank you to @macmillan.audio for the gifted early listening copy. #mac2025 #macmillanaudiopartner All opinions are my own.
My reading goals got 2026 include a commitment to read more diversely and include at least one nonfiction title per month. MIRACLE CHILDREN, an examination of a college admissions scandal involving a school in Louisiana checks both boxes.
This book presents a nice balance between historical perspective and investigative journalism. It is a well researched, factual presentation of racism in education; both in the past and present day. It is abhorrent that the disparity in opportunity continues in this country. Equally abhorrent is the way that disparity is used to prey upon and exploit the very group already facing an uphill battle.
Christopher Ian Grant’s narration is excellent. His tone and expressiveness was perfect for this material.
My reading goals got 2026 include a commitment to read more diversely and include at least one nonfiction title per month. MIRACLE CHILDREN, an examination of a college admissions scandal involving a school in Louisiana checks both boxes.
This book presents a nice balance between historical perspective and investigative journalism. It is a well researched, factual presentation of racism in education; both in the past and present day. It is abhorrent that the disparity in opportunity continues in this country. Equally abhorrent is the way that disparity is used to prey upon and exploit the very group already facing an uphill battle.
Christopher Ian Grant’s narration is excellent. His tone and expressiveness was perfect for this material.
January 21, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt Books for the digital ARC of this book publishing January 13th, 2026.
MIRACLE CHILDREN is one my favorite books of the year. I graduated with a degree in education 10+ years ago, and I really appreciate reading data driven critiques of our education system. Have y'all heard of this scandal? Reading about the T.M. Landry school and their founders Mike and Tracey, almost felt like I was reading about a cult.
Benner and Green, two reporters with NY Times, did an incredible job of sharing educational history and the racial inequities in education. It was very fact-focused, investigative, and easy to read while also sharing the history of the students and families of those involved in the T.M. Landry College Prep School scandal.
10/10 recommend of you're in education, if you have babies in education, if you care about education, or if you enjoy reading about cults!
MIRACLE CHILDREN is one my favorite books of the year. I graduated with a degree in education 10+ years ago, and I really appreciate reading data driven critiques of our education system. Have y'all heard of this scandal? Reading about the T.M. Landry school and their founders Mike and Tracey, almost felt like I was reading about a cult.
Benner and Green, two reporters with NY Times, did an incredible job of sharing educational history and the racial inequities in education. It was very fact-focused, investigative, and easy to read while also sharing the history of the students and families of those involved in the T.M. Landry College Prep School scandal.
10/10 recommend of you're in education, if you have babies in education, if you care about education, or if you enjoy reading about cults!
January 27, 2026
Sometimes a book hits close to home. Miracle Children is the true story of a private school that falsified transcripts and test scores to aid their students to get into elite colleges.
Some of the experiences (participating in the Harvard Summer Institute, networking with the heads of admissions ) are things I did as a new counselor. The author really understood the significance of that on a guidance practice.
It’s much more than a cheating school. It’s about systematic racism in higher education, the terrible educational system for many poor children and a parent’s longing for a better life for their children blind them to the reality of the school.
It’s such an important book. The authors really understand the issues, and are gripping writers. It will stay with you.
Some of the experiences (participating in the Harvard Summer Institute, networking with the heads of admissions ) are things I did as a new counselor. The author really understood the significance of that on a guidance practice.
It’s much more than a cheating school. It’s about systematic racism in higher education, the terrible educational system for many poor children and a parent’s longing for a better life for their children blind them to the reality of the school.
It’s such an important book. The authors really understand the issues, and are gripping writers. It will stay with you.
January 11, 2026
An important story that gives a lot of background on the history of education, especially for Black children, in Louisiana. Thank you to Libro.fm for the educator advanced listening copy.
February 3, 2026
This was good and upsetting- I do think that this story was maybe better suited to a series of long form articles than a book.
February 4, 2026
While so interesting topically, this book felt like it was a really good and extensive news article that had lots of words added to it for the sole purpose of extending it into a publishable book. I felt throughout like I was hoping for more content about the story itself and less filler prose that occasionally felt redundant.
January 30, 2026
Miracle Children is one of those books that leaves you sitting quietly after the last page, trying to process how something so well-intentioned could spiral into such a devastating scandal.
What made this story especially infuriating and heartbreaking was how deeply rooted it was in hope. Education, survival, and the desire to build a better life for yourself or your children should never be a weapon. Yet greed found its way into something innocent and turned it into exploitation.
The research in this book is meticulous. Every layer of the scandal is unpacked with care, clarity, and undeniable evidence. You can feel the journalistic rigor on every page, and it never once feels sensationalized it feels necessary.
One of the most powerful aspects for me was how the authors captured the internal conflict within the Black community. That hesitation to speak up. That discomfort of feeling like you’re “going against your own kind.” And then the even harder truth: how betrayal from within can make you angry, resentful, and deeply disappointed. Something meant to uplift and level the playing field instead preyed on an already vulnerable community and that reality is hard to swallow.
This book doesn’t just expose a scandal; it forces you to confront how systemic inequality, trust, and greed collide and who ultimately pays the price.
Can you imagine taking your children to a school believing you’re doing everything right, believing you’re setting them up for success, only to later find out that when they transition to a traditional school or are tested on that same knowledge, they’re not just behind… they’re failing?
People don’t talk enough about how much that messes with your mind. You think you’re winning. You think your child is thriving. And then suddenly you’re faced with the reality that they’re not even meeting the most basic academic standards needed to succeed in school, college, or beyond. That kind of realization doesn’t just hurt academically, it shakes your confidence.
What made the situation even more infuriating was the way already-successful people were used as the face of it all, paraded as proof that the system worked. But the truth is, the only reason they succeeded was because they were already good to begin with. Their success wasn’t the result of the program; it existed long before it.
And then imagine this, after going through all of that, after investing years of your life and trusting the process, you apply for college or a job… only to find out the school wasn’t even accredited.
That’s when it really hits.
Because at that point, it’s not just about being behind, it’s about realizing you wasted time. Time you will never get back. Years of effort, belief, and trust that ultimately counted for nothing on paper. And that realization? That in itself is crazy.
What makes it even harder to process is knowing that something was taken from these kids, something that can’t simply be given back.
Well written. Thoroughly researched. Emotionally heavy.
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you Netgalley
What made this story especially infuriating and heartbreaking was how deeply rooted it was in hope. Education, survival, and the desire to build a better life for yourself or your children should never be a weapon. Yet greed found its way into something innocent and turned it into exploitation.
The research in this book is meticulous. Every layer of the scandal is unpacked with care, clarity, and undeniable evidence. You can feel the journalistic rigor on every page, and it never once feels sensationalized it feels necessary.
One of the most powerful aspects for me was how the authors captured the internal conflict within the Black community. That hesitation to speak up. That discomfort of feeling like you’re “going against your own kind.” And then the even harder truth: how betrayal from within can make you angry, resentful, and deeply disappointed. Something meant to uplift and level the playing field instead preyed on an already vulnerable community and that reality is hard to swallow.
This book doesn’t just expose a scandal; it forces you to confront how systemic inequality, trust, and greed collide and who ultimately pays the price.
Can you imagine taking your children to a school believing you’re doing everything right, believing you’re setting them up for success, only to later find out that when they transition to a traditional school or are tested on that same knowledge, they’re not just behind… they’re failing?
People don’t talk enough about how much that messes with your mind. You think you’re winning. You think your child is thriving. And then suddenly you’re faced with the reality that they’re not even meeting the most basic academic standards needed to succeed in school, college, or beyond. That kind of realization doesn’t just hurt academically, it shakes your confidence.
What made the situation even more infuriating was the way already-successful people were used as the face of it all, paraded as proof that the system worked. But the truth is, the only reason they succeeded was because they were already good to begin with. Their success wasn’t the result of the program; it existed long before it.
And then imagine this, after going through all of that, after investing years of your life and trusting the process, you apply for college or a job… only to find out the school wasn’t even accredited.
That’s when it really hits.
Because at that point, it’s not just about being behind, it’s about realizing you wasted time. Time you will never get back. Years of effort, belief, and trust that ultimately counted for nothing on paper. And that realization? That in itself is crazy.
What makes it even harder to process is knowing that something was taken from these kids, something that can’t simply be given back.
Well written. Thoroughly researched. Emotionally heavy.
4.5 stars from me.
Thank you Netgalley
February 2, 2026
Review of Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises
This was a powerful, deeply researched, and illuminating book that added important context to how race shapes education policies, opportunities, and outcomes in the United States. Benner and Green do an excellent job of weaving together investigative reporting with human stories, making the larger systems at play clear without losing sight of the real students and families affected.
What made this story especially compelling to me is how it centers on something so relatable: parents desperately trying to secure the best possible education for their children. In that sense, I don’t think this is a story about “bad parents” or gullible families; most parents, across race and class, are simply trying to navigate an increasingly confusing and high-stakes education landscape. As a mother myself, I recognized how easily I, too, could become a target for promises that sound too good to be true.
At the same time, the book makes clear that the stakes are different,and often higher,for Black and Brown families. The constant pressure to counter stereotypes, prove worthiness, and secure opportunities in systems that were not built for them makes students and parents particularly vulnerable to schemes that claim to offer a shortcut to success.
Reading Miracle Children also brought to mind the college admissions scandal portrayed in Varsity Blues. Both stories reveal what happens when large sums of money enter educational spaces that are supposed to be merit-based, and how quickly ethical lines can blur when prestige, fear, and competition collide. I don’t believe the Landrys set out with the intention to harm students or scam families, but this book shows how good intentions can become dangerous when mixed with ambition, lack of oversight, and unqualified actors presenting themselves as experts.
The book also made me think critically about the annual flood of social media posts every June celebrating students who were admitted to an overwhelming number of schools, many of which they have no true interest in, just a number to brag about. And I have always been skeptical about the scholarship award amount and how they are calculated, even for school districts and my own pirate school. These numbers feel inflated and contrary to the point. While meant to be celebratory, I worry that this culture of competition and spectacle feeds the same pressures that make families susceptible to stories like this one, and ultimately harms students more than it helps them.
Overall, Miracle Children is an important, thought-provoking read that goes far beyond a single scandal. It challenges readers to think about race, access, power, and what “opportunity” really means in American education. Highly recommended.
This was a powerful, deeply researched, and illuminating book that added important context to how race shapes education policies, opportunities, and outcomes in the United States. Benner and Green do an excellent job of weaving together investigative reporting with human stories, making the larger systems at play clear without losing sight of the real students and families affected.
What made this story especially compelling to me is how it centers on something so relatable: parents desperately trying to secure the best possible education for their children. In that sense, I don’t think this is a story about “bad parents” or gullible families; most parents, across race and class, are simply trying to navigate an increasingly confusing and high-stakes education landscape. As a mother myself, I recognized how easily I, too, could become a target for promises that sound too good to be true.
At the same time, the book makes clear that the stakes are different,and often higher,for Black and Brown families. The constant pressure to counter stereotypes, prove worthiness, and secure opportunities in systems that were not built for them makes students and parents particularly vulnerable to schemes that claim to offer a shortcut to success.
Reading Miracle Children also brought to mind the college admissions scandal portrayed in Varsity Blues. Both stories reveal what happens when large sums of money enter educational spaces that are supposed to be merit-based, and how quickly ethical lines can blur when prestige, fear, and competition collide. I don’t believe the Landrys set out with the intention to harm students or scam families, but this book shows how good intentions can become dangerous when mixed with ambition, lack of oversight, and unqualified actors presenting themselves as experts.
The book also made me think critically about the annual flood of social media posts every June celebrating students who were admitted to an overwhelming number of schools, many of which they have no true interest in, just a number to brag about. And I have always been skeptical about the scholarship award amount and how they are calculated, even for school districts and my own pirate school. These numbers feel inflated and contrary to the point. While meant to be celebratory, I worry that this culture of competition and spectacle feeds the same pressures that make families susceptible to stories like this one, and ultimately harms students more than it helps them.
Overall, Miracle Children is an important, thought-provoking read that goes far beyond a single scandal. It challenges readers to think about race, access, power, and what “opportunity” really means in American education. Highly recommended.
January 21, 2026
Set in a state hurt by racial inequality in education, TM Landry promised black students the dream of getting into college. But everything from how the school operated to the college applications was an abusive scam.
"The colleges wereb't interrsted jn merely mortal children. They wanted miracle children."
Colleges didn't want black students to actually be inclusive but to appear inclusive, to appease their white guilt, and the Landrys took advantage of that by making their students seem to have face hardships that they had never actually experienced. Meanwhile the students weren't actually learning anything at school, but instead memorizing, while being both physically and psychologically abused.
The school seems almost like a cult: everything is hidden for a reason and the figure of Mike Landry is one of fatherly authority. One of which is not to be questioned.
One reason it was hard for parents to question him was systemic racism. Mike Landry promised the parents that their children would succeed despite racial bias against them. And he was successfully getting kids into college (through system manipulation), so how could they question him without hurting their child's future?
As one former student mentioned in her college essay after the truth had come out in a New York Times exposee about the school:
"We see education as a gift to be bestowed upon black students, instead of as a public good to be accessed. We celebrate miracle schools as a remedy for centuries of systemic inequality, casting away all criticisms. TM Landry was suplosed to be the remedy to America's education crisis, but it acrually turned out to be a part of the problem."
Personally, I don't think I was ever meant to read this story, it has nothing to do with me as a someone not from the USA, but the aspect of education fraud interested me and I did take away one important lesson: to not trust blindly in educators, to demand and criticize and to pay attention to what happens in my future child's life at school.
"The colleges wereb't interrsted jn merely mortal children. They wanted miracle children."
Colleges didn't want black students to actually be inclusive but to appear inclusive, to appease their white guilt, and the Landrys took advantage of that by making their students seem to have face hardships that they had never actually experienced. Meanwhile the students weren't actually learning anything at school, but instead memorizing, while being both physically and psychologically abused.
The school seems almost like a cult: everything is hidden for a reason and the figure of Mike Landry is one of fatherly authority. One of which is not to be questioned.
One reason it was hard for parents to question him was systemic racism. Mike Landry promised the parents that their children would succeed despite racial bias against them. And he was successfully getting kids into college (through system manipulation), so how could they question him without hurting their child's future?
As one former student mentioned in her college essay after the truth had come out in a New York Times exposee about the school:
"We see education as a gift to be bestowed upon black students, instead of as a public good to be accessed. We celebrate miracle schools as a remedy for centuries of systemic inequality, casting away all criticisms. TM Landry was suplosed to be the remedy to America's education crisis, but it acrually turned out to be a part of the problem."
Personally, I don't think I was ever meant to read this story, it has nothing to do with me as a someone not from the USA, but the aspect of education fraud interested me and I did take away one important lesson: to not trust blindly in educators, to demand and criticize and to pay attention to what happens in my future child's life at school.
January 27, 2026
"Miracle Children" is a shocking expose of a brutal, unaccredited, ACT-prep high school in the center of a poor, black, Louisiana community, run by a violent administrator who demanded cult-like worship from his students, their parents, and the nation. The poor parents paid tuitions they couldn't afford and were told not to ask their children about anything connected to the school, while their children were minimally educated and were humiliated, beaten, and choked in front of the peers they were pitted against. The students also were not offered any sports or extracurricular activities and were assaulted and ostracized if they maintained friendships with students from other schools
The school's "graduates" were admitted to but unlikely to succeed in top-tier colleges based on bogus transcripts for courses they never took, false letters of recommendation, and fictitious, tear-jerking personal essays creating backstories of suffering that played on national stereotypes and prejudices about black people.
The couple that owned and ran the school had no education degrees, but greatly profited from their scam and then escaped punishment and disappeared. Their uneducated and PTSD-afflicted student body didn’t even get legit high school diplomas and basic skills to fall back on.
This extensive coverage of the scandal also revealed how little the civil rights movements actually achieved, even after many years of highly publicized "victories." Louisiana public schools remained segregated and grossly underfunded as white students were pulled out of them and placed in private, parochial or charter schools. In addition, Jim Crow laws and attitudes continued well into the 1980’s; and when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, only the white communities received FEMA assistance.
As a teacher, I was horrified at the pathetic education and abysmal treatment of the students at the T.M. Langley prep school. As a civil rights activist, I was equally outraged at the fake black rights progress identified in this must-read journalism.
The school's "graduates" were admitted to but unlikely to succeed in top-tier colleges based on bogus transcripts for courses they never took, false letters of recommendation, and fictitious, tear-jerking personal essays creating backstories of suffering that played on national stereotypes and prejudices about black people.
The couple that owned and ran the school had no education degrees, but greatly profited from their scam and then escaped punishment and disappeared. Their uneducated and PTSD-afflicted student body didn’t even get legit high school diplomas and basic skills to fall back on.
This extensive coverage of the scandal also revealed how little the civil rights movements actually achieved, even after many years of highly publicized "victories." Louisiana public schools remained segregated and grossly underfunded as white students were pulled out of them and placed in private, parochial or charter schools. In addition, Jim Crow laws and attitudes continued well into the 1980’s; and when Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana, only the white communities received FEMA assistance.
As a teacher, I was horrified at the pathetic education and abysmal treatment of the students at the T.M. Langley prep school. As a civil rights activist, I was equally outraged at the fake black rights progress identified in this must-read journalism.
January 27, 2026
A powerful, unsettling reminder that true education is about growth—not just getting the “right” numbers.
This book is a sobering, meticulously reported look at the rise and unraveling of the T.M. Landry College Prep myth. What begins as a story about a so‑called miracle school quickly reveals itself to be a cautionary tale about the darker side of meritocracy and the ways our education system can be warped when test scores become the only metric that matters.
Benner and Green dig deep into how T.M. Landry fixated almost exclusively on standardized testing and elite college admissions as proof of success. Students were pushed to memorize test questions rather than actually learn—and even more disturbingly, many endured emotional and physical abuse under the guise of “discipline.” Listening to the students’ and families’ experiences was heartbreaking, especially knowing these children were seeking opportunity and ended up being exploited in the process.
As a parent, I found the larger commentary on education especially resonant. With two children who learn very differently, I’ve seen firsthand how harmful it can be to reduce a student’s worth to a score or ranking. My older son cruised through tests; my younger son struggled with them—and it became clear that what he needed wasn’t more pressure, but a complete reframing. When I emphasized that grades and scores weren’t what mattered to me—that I cared about whether he was learning and understanding material—everything changed. Once he shifted his focus toward learning itself, he thrived, eventually graduating high school as salutatorian. That experience made Benner and Green’s reporting hit even harder.
The book does an excellent job of pulling back the curtain on how systems built around prestige and performance incentivize shortcuts, superficial teaching, and, in the worst cases, outright deception.
It’s a tough listen at times, but also an important one—especially for parents, educators, and anyone who has ever wondered whether the way we measure achievement actually supports real learning.
This book is a sobering, meticulously reported look at the rise and unraveling of the T.M. Landry College Prep myth. What begins as a story about a so‑called miracle school quickly reveals itself to be a cautionary tale about the darker side of meritocracy and the ways our education system can be warped when test scores become the only metric that matters.
Benner and Green dig deep into how T.M. Landry fixated almost exclusively on standardized testing and elite college admissions as proof of success. Students were pushed to memorize test questions rather than actually learn—and even more disturbingly, many endured emotional and physical abuse under the guise of “discipline.” Listening to the students’ and families’ experiences was heartbreaking, especially knowing these children were seeking opportunity and ended up being exploited in the process.
As a parent, I found the larger commentary on education especially resonant. With two children who learn very differently, I’ve seen firsthand how harmful it can be to reduce a student’s worth to a score or ranking. My older son cruised through tests; my younger son struggled with them—and it became clear that what he needed wasn’t more pressure, but a complete reframing. When I emphasized that grades and scores weren’t what mattered to me—that I cared about whether he was learning and understanding material—everything changed. Once he shifted his focus toward learning itself, he thrived, eventually graduating high school as salutatorian. That experience made Benner and Green’s reporting hit even harder.
The book does an excellent job of pulling back the curtain on how systems built around prestige and performance incentivize shortcuts, superficial teaching, and, in the worst cases, outright deception.
It’s a tough listen at times, but also an important one—especially for parents, educators, and anyone who has ever wondered whether the way we measure achievement actually supports real learning.
January 31, 2026
Mike Landry's intentions were good; his methods were dubious. He is a modern day snake oil purveyor.
Mike Landry's motives are noble: he wants to the level playing when it comes to access to wealth. To do so, he sought admission to top-tier colleges. These colleges are notorious for providing a pipeline to politics and high paying jobs. Unfortunately, he did so by subjecting his students to his unique brand of psychological and physical torture that read like cult leadership. He deceived parents and forced students to write fictional personal essays. He doctored transcripts in ways that could never be verified. Despite all the malfeasance, he delivered on most of promises - following his formula for success, Landry secured acceptance into colleges that most of these students would have viewed as a pipe dream, but for his intervention.
When I was reading this book about how T. M. Landry manipulated children, their parents, and the college admission system I kept wondering how these students would survive in college because so much of the "teaching" suggested that all these students did was drill day and night to increase their ACT scores. Multiple times the book referenced how elementary school-age children at T.M. Landry were reading well below their grade level. There was no indication that the students were exposed to typical books assigned to high school English classes, no mention of learning world or American history, no foundation in economics or other classes that are offered to high school seniors. I can't imagine going to an Ivy League school (or any college for that matter) where one's peers are more well-rounded in academics and having to fight for acceptance. In reading the epilogue, I was happy to see that many of the graduates were able to acclimate and succeed at the college level.
Mike Landry's motives are noble: he wants to the level playing when it comes to access to wealth. To do so, he sought admission to top-tier colleges. These colleges are notorious for providing a pipeline to politics and high paying jobs. Unfortunately, he did so by subjecting his students to his unique brand of psychological and physical torture that read like cult leadership. He deceived parents and forced students to write fictional personal essays. He doctored transcripts in ways that could never be verified. Despite all the malfeasance, he delivered on most of promises - following his formula for success, Landry secured acceptance into colleges that most of these students would have viewed as a pipe dream, but for his intervention.
When I was reading this book about how T. M. Landry manipulated children, their parents, and the college admission system I kept wondering how these students would survive in college because so much of the "teaching" suggested that all these students did was drill day and night to increase their ACT scores. Multiple times the book referenced how elementary school-age children at T.M. Landry were reading well below their grade level. There was no indication that the students were exposed to typical books assigned to high school English classes, no mention of learning world or American history, no foundation in economics or other classes that are offered to high school seniors. I can't imagine going to an Ivy League school (or any college for that matter) where one's peers are more well-rounded in academics and having to fight for acceptance. In reading the epilogue, I was happy to see that many of the graduates were able to acclimate and succeed at the college level.
![Profile Image for Kelly {SpaceOnTheBookcase].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1672255572i%2F4799500._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
January 24, 2026
T.M. Landry College Prep became famous after college acceptance reaction videos went viral and gained nationwide recognition. However, families within the T.M. Landry College Prep school realized that what they were hearing didn't align with what they knew to be true. A thoroughly researched nonfiction book into the T.M. Landry College Prep Scam, Miracle Children, dives into what happened at T.M. Landry College Prep, how it went on for so long and asks the question, "Why do elite colleges only seem interested in black students when they have traumatic pasts."
In the small town of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, a prep school that started as a one room schoolhouse grew into an Ivy League feeder school with a 100% college acceptance rate. The problem? The teachers weren't teachers. There was no set curriculum. Owner and founder, T.M. Landry used abusive and dehumanizing tactics to rule his students. Parents were pushed out, and once you got to high school, it was an ACT boot camp. As long as you could make the score, did it actually matter if you lied on your college essay about coming from an adverse background even if you didn't?
Once the school gained success, T.M. Landry began to recruit students who were already high achieving. The problem? Beyond ACT prep books they weren't being taught anything else. While the school boasted a 100% college acceptance rate, and many of those students would go off to an Ivy or big state school, many drowned as soon as they arrived and never graduated from college.
I enjoyed Katie Benner's work, I thought it was well written, well paced, well researched and well laid out.
Thank you Henry Holt Co for the gifted copy.
In the small town of Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, a prep school that started as a one room schoolhouse grew into an Ivy League feeder school with a 100% college acceptance rate. The problem? The teachers weren't teachers. There was no set curriculum. Owner and founder, T.M. Landry used abusive and dehumanizing tactics to rule his students. Parents were pushed out, and once you got to high school, it was an ACT boot camp. As long as you could make the score, did it actually matter if you lied on your college essay about coming from an adverse background even if you didn't?
Once the school gained success, T.M. Landry began to recruit students who were already high achieving. The problem? Beyond ACT prep books they weren't being taught anything else. While the school boasted a 100% college acceptance rate, and many of those students would go off to an Ivy or big state school, many drowned as soon as they arrived and never graduated from college.
I enjoyed Katie Benner's work, I thought it was well written, well paced, well researched and well laid out.
Thank you Henry Holt Co for the gifted copy.
Read
January 13, 2026Miracle Children is the story of T.M. Landry College Prep, a small private school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, that boasted a 100-percent college acceptance rate, placing students at nearly every Ivy League college in the country. The spectacle of Landry students opening their acceptance letters to Harvard and Stanford was broadcast on CBS This Morning, the Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Today, and even celebrated by Michelle Obama. It was a ritual to watch the miraculous success of these youngsters—miraculous because Breaux Bridge is one of the poorest counties in the country, ranked close to the bottom for test scores and high school graduation. T.M. Landry was said to be “minting prodigies,” and the prodigies were often Black. How did the school do it? They didn’t—it was a scam, pulled off with fake records and fake letters of recommendation, and above all, personal essays telling fake stories of triumph over adversity. Worse: Landry’s success concealed a nightmare of abuse and coercion. In a years-long investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green explored the students, the school, the town, and Ivy League admissions to understand why Black students were pressured to trade a racial stereotype of hardship for opportunity.
I have never heard of any of the events that happened in this. I don’t rate non-fiction books because these are true events that happened to people. I do think that the events that happened were pretty wild.
Thank you so much, Holt Books, for the ARC of this book. This came out today, January 13!
I have never heard of any of the events that happened in this. I don’t rate non-fiction books because these are true events that happened to people. I do think that the events that happened were pretty wild.
Thank you so much, Holt Books, for the ARC of this book. This came out today, January 13!
February 7, 2026
I found Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises through the Millions and Edioak Reader Program, and it turned out to be one of the most thought-provoking nonfiction books I’ve read in a long time.
This book isn’t just about education, it’s about systems, inequality, and the way hope is often marketed to communities without real long-term support behind it. The author does an excellent job of showing how race and education intersect in ways that are uncomfortable but important to face. What makes it even more impactful is that it’s written like a real story, not like a dry academic report.
The emotional side of the book really hit me. You can feel the weight of the students’ dreams and how much they believed in the promises being made to them. That’s what makes the “false promises” part so painful. It’s not just about policy failure, it’s about real lives being shaped and sometimes damaged by decisions made far above them.
I also appreciated how the book doesn’t oversimplify anything. It shows the complexity of the education system, the good intentions that still lead to harm, and the uncomfortable reality that change takes more than motivation and slogans.
Overall, this was an eye-opening and deeply important read. I’m genuinely glad I came across it through the Millions and Edioak Reader Program, because it’s the kind of book that challenges the way you think and leaves you reflecting long after you finish.
This book isn’t just about education, it’s about systems, inequality, and the way hope is often marketed to communities without real long-term support behind it. The author does an excellent job of showing how race and education intersect in ways that are uncomfortable but important to face. What makes it even more impactful is that it’s written like a real story, not like a dry academic report.
The emotional side of the book really hit me. You can feel the weight of the students’ dreams and how much they believed in the promises being made to them. That’s what makes the “false promises” part so painful. It’s not just about policy failure, it’s about real lives being shaped and sometimes damaged by decisions made far above them.
I also appreciated how the book doesn’t oversimplify anything. It shows the complexity of the education system, the good intentions that still lead to harm, and the uncomfortable reality that change takes more than motivation and slogans.
Overall, this was an eye-opening and deeply important read. I’m genuinely glad I came across it through the Millions and Edioak Reader Program, because it’s the kind of book that challenges the way you think and leaves you reflecting long after you finish.
January 13, 2026
this was a very compelling piece of investigative journalism about TM Landry, a school in Louisiana, USA that committed fraud in order to get its students into top universities and to make its owners wealthy. we learn about what went down in the school from the view point of six former students and their families. we also learn about the history of Black education in the US, particularly in Louisiana which historically has not had the best opportunities for its students and is extremely unregulated. the authors did a great job tying all of the historical info to what was going on at TM Landry, keeping it relevant but also informative.
i found myself engaged throughout my read and my jaw did drop a few times while reading about what the Landry family asked its students to do. i do think a bit of editing and trimming could have made this a bit more engaging, perhaps a bit less focus on the background of the students and the owners of the school because those were the pasts that i found dragged a bit, but overall this was worth the read. if you give it a go, you’ll likely learn something that you didn’t know about the flawed education system in the United States and hopefully with that knowledge we’ll be able to make it better :)
thanks to Henry Holt for the gifted copy!
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