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Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises
Win a free print copy of this book!
7 days and 23:53:53
20 copies available
U.S. only
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 university in the country. The spectacle of Landry students opening their acceptance letters to Harvard and Yale was broadcast on television and even celebrated by Michelle Obama. It became a national 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 rates. T.M. Landry was said to be “minting prodigies,” and the prodigies were often black.
How did the school do it? It didn’ It was a scam, pulled off with fake transcripts and personal essays telling fake stories of triumph over adversity. Worse, Landry’s success concealed a nightmare of alleged abuse and coercion. In a yearslong investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green explored the lives of the students, the school, the town, and Ivy League admissions to understand why black teens were pressured to trade in racial stereotypes 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—that its deceptions and abuses were the outcome of segregated schools, inequitable education, and the 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 university in the country. The spectacle of Landry students opening their acceptance letters to Harvard and Yale was broadcast on television and even celebrated by Michelle Obama. It became a national 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 rates. T.M. Landry was said to be “minting prodigies,” and the prodigies were often black.
How did the school do it? It didn’ It was a scam, pulled off with fake transcripts and personal essays telling fake stories of triumph over adversity. Worse, Landry’s success concealed a nightmare of alleged abuse and coercion. In a yearslong investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green explored the lives of the students, the school, the town, and Ivy League admissions to understand why black teens were pressured to trade in racial stereotypes 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—that its deceptions and abuses were the outcome of segregated schools, inequitable education, and the belief that elite colleges are the nation’s last path to life-changing economic opportunity.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 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.
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
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 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.
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.
January 25, 2026
This story broke my teacher heart.
Really well written and researched.
Really well written and researched.
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.
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 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 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.
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.
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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!
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!
January 20, 2026
WOW! I had watched some of the acceptance videos online. I had no IDEA what the back story was.
This book is an eye opener on one man's way to exploit a system. I loved how the authors provided the context and the history of education, especially higher education in the book. From Plessy v Fergusson to Brown v Board of Education, how did those decisions impact Southern schools and more specifically how they impacted Black people.
The pacing was fast and it was hard to avert your eyes to the degradation that the Landry's visited upon their students. With mounting horror the reader realizes that the dream of an IVY league education comes with a heavy price....abuse, NO education, no high school diploma, and mental warfare.
This book is an extraordinary look at the American higher educational system, and the lengths in which people will go to get there.
I recommend it for everyone who read Educated.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
This book is an eye opener on one man's way to exploit a system. I loved how the authors provided the context and the history of education, especially higher education in the book. From Plessy v Fergusson to Brown v Board of Education, how did those decisions impact Southern schools and more specifically how they impacted Black people.
The pacing was fast and it was hard to avert your eyes to the degradation that the Landry's visited upon their students. With mounting horror the reader realizes that the dream of an IVY league education comes with a heavy price....abuse, NO education, no high school diploma, and mental warfare.
This book is an extraordinary look at the American higher educational system, and the lengths in which people will go to get there.
I recommend it for everyone who read Educated.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for this honest review.
January 21, 2026
I won this in a Goodreads Giveaway, thanks, Goodreads! That said, I looked forward to reading this, and as a former long-time resident of New Orleans, I'm interested in all things Louisiana. The biggest thing I learned from this was about the shocking lack of oversight in unaccredited schools in Louisiana, and I have to wonder how many proliferated post-Katrina. That's the basic gist of how this story happened, and how abuse and fraud went on for years. This also raises the question of how these elite schools/Ivy Leagues don't catch on to fraudulent applications - there must be a lot of them, and the schools must not really care that much! Is it all a racket to keep the rich in power? Of course it is! Now, with all of that, though this was well-reported, I think it could have been a long article. There's not enough meat here for a whole book, in my opinion. It's well-written and interesting, but...just not enough to chew on.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Such a great and intriguing book! 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.
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. I’m also so excited to see that this was written by women of color, both reporters with the New York Times.
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. I’m also so excited to see that this was written by women of color, both reporters with the New York Times.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Rating: 3.5
Miracle Children talks about a college prep school in Louisiana that purported to have high school graduates that excelled at getting into Ivy League schools and getting amazing ACT scores. Behind-the-scenes Mr. Landry was telling lies and abusing, sometimes verbally and sometimes physically, students who wouldn't listen to the words he spoke. He saw himself as a god-like figure who wouldn't face any repercussions for his actions and get parents of students to harass those who brought what he called false narratives against him or L.M. Landry College Prep.
Through their journalistic investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green put focus on the couple that ran the prep school along with some of the students that attended it. While the Landrys started off with good intentions, their greed got in the way of helping their community. While I appreciated the historical elements in the front portion of the story, they didn't always weave in with the narrative the authors were trying to tell. With a myriad of students, it was hard at times to remember whos-who amongst the students mentioned. This along with the previously mentioned historical elements made the storytelling uneven at times.
Thank you to Henry Holt and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.
Miracle Children talks about a college prep school in Louisiana that purported to have high school graduates that excelled at getting into Ivy League schools and getting amazing ACT scores. Behind-the-scenes Mr. Landry was telling lies and abusing, sometimes verbally and sometimes physically, students who wouldn't listen to the words he spoke. He saw himself as a god-like figure who wouldn't face any repercussions for his actions and get parents of students to harass those who brought what he called false narratives against him or L.M. Landry College Prep.
Through their journalistic investigation, Katie Benner and Erica L. Green put focus on the couple that ran the prep school along with some of the students that attended it. While the Landrys started off with good intentions, their greed got in the way of helping their community. While I appreciated the historical elements in the front portion of the story, they didn't always weave in with the narrative the authors were trying to tell. With a myriad of students, it was hard at times to remember whos-who amongst the students mentioned. This along with the previously mentioned historical elements made the storytelling uneven at times.
Thank you to Henry Holt and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for review consideration.
Read
January 14, 2026Miracle Children tells the story of T.M. Landry College Prep, a small private school in Louisiana that found itself at the center of a college admissions scandal after providing fake transcripts and fictional personal essays. While the book’s main focus is what happened at T.M. Landry, it also examines something much bigger - the racial inequities and long history of segregation in American education that allowed something like this to happen in the first place.
As a teacher in a Title I school, it broke my heart to see the disservice done to these students and the way families were taken advantage of. If you’re looking for a nonfiction read centering around education, I would definitely recommend this book!
Thank you to Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.
As a teacher in a Title I school, it broke my heart to see the disservice done to these students and the way families were taken advantage of. If you’re looking for a nonfiction read centering around education, I would definitely recommend this book!
Thank you to Libro.fm and Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.
September 18, 2025
Thank you, Henry Holt & Company, for providing the copy of Miracle Children by Katie Benner; Erica L. Green. I couldn’t believe I didn’t already know about the T.M. Landry school story and the kids who attended it. The way the ‘school’ was run was unbelievable, and I’m sorry Mike didn’t face more consequences. I liked the mixture of educational history, history about some of the students, and details of what happened at the school. I loved the bibliography at the end instead of trying to navigate tons of footnotes! This book opened my eyes to how con artists operate, and how we should all be vigilant about checking out people and institutions before trusting them! 4 stars
Review of advance copy
I listened to an advanced audiobook of Miracle Children from Libro.fm. The narrator, Christopher Ian Grant, captured the tone of the story and people perfectly. Authors, Katie Benner and Erica Green, reveal a shocking and complex true story of a charter school in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana whose owners promised Black students they would get into college. Tracy and Mike Landry sold families hope for a bright future and sold ivy league universities students who could diversify their student bodies. The school boasted of a 100% college acceptance to elite colleges, and they did whatever they had to do to accomplish that goal..
January 15, 2026
4.25 rating! These stories of grifters that take advantage of marginalizes communities make me mad. Especially when said grifters are part of that community and screw over venerable parents just wanting to give their kids better opportunities. As I got deeper into the book, I realized that the Landrys, especially Michael, had a cult like following among the parents, students, and the Ivy League schools that flocked to the school and ate up their story. The journalists did their homework very well on this story and I mostly finished this one day. The sad part is that some of these students got broken beyond belief and have been trying to reckon with the aftermath ever since.
January 17, 2026
Overall, this book is very sad which shows how well told the story is. I did read an ARC, so I suspect that some of the confusing bits were edited in the final version (sentences where I suspect the wrong name was used or stories could have been edited for clarity). I was also surprised that there wasn’t much focus throughout the story on past graduates’ success in college, but I guess that was explained toward the end where people acknowledged how easily they were snowed by being the first in their families to have a chance to go to college so it never occurred to them that just getting in wasn’t the end of the story. I hope the Landrys aren’t in positions to hurt people in the future.
December 2, 2025
Now here's a story about American education that'll knock your socks off! The dedication of the writers is just amazing...how they dug this story out...
Katie Benner and Erica L. Green has tackled a project that's long overdue...and in the process exposes so much about this particular area of educational mishap!
If you want to get a good grasp of how things are not so well with certain aspects of our education system, this is the book for you...you'll certainly gain an eye-opening experience!
Highly Recommended!
October 19, 2025
This was an ARC book. I don't want to give anything away. I found it interesting, but am not sure I totally agree with everything in the book. The Landry's took advantage of their community, and in my mind that is probably the worst thing some one can do. The parents shocked me, with the amount of trust they gave people they didn't know well, that had so much access to their children.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This story is bonkers. The book itself is solid. The facts of the case do a lot of heavy lifting, and at times the book is organized in odd ways. It feels like an article that was turned into a book and reads as clunky in spots. Overall I liked the book but it didn't read as engaging as I would've liked.
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