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Vanity Fair's Schools For Scandal: The Inside Dramas at 16 of America's Most Elite Campuses―Plus Oxford!
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter shares a definitive, provocative collection of the magazine’s finest dispatches on the political, sexual, and administrative scandals that have swept our nation’s campuses.
Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal, edited by Graydon Carter, with an introduction by Cullen Murphy, brings together the magazine’s finest reporting on the scandals that have swept our nation’s most elite campuses over the past twenty-five years—all in one definitive, provocative volume.
The stories collected here speak to an American obsession with status and to the lengths we will go to achieve it, preserve it, or destroy it—from the enduring, shadowy influence of Yale’s secret societies to the infamous “senior salute” at St. Paul’s School; from the false accusations in the Duke lacrosse team’s infamous rape case to the (mis)reportage of a sexual assault at the University of Virginia; from a deadly extreme-sport episode at Oxford to the Keystone Kop theft of a college’s rare books to the allegations of fraud by the now-shuttered Trump University.
Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal brings focus to the perils facing American education today and how the life of the mind, and the significance of the institutions meant to foster it, has been negatively impacted by the partisan politics of privatization, tensions over so-called political correctness, the fraught dynamic of the teacher-student relationship, and what happens when visions for a bold future collide with the desire to maintain hidebound (or venerable) traditions.
With an array of Vanity Fair ’s signature writers—including Buzz Bissinger, William D. Cohan, Sarah Ellison, Evgenia Peretz, Todd S. Purdum, and Sam Tanenhaus, among others— Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal presents a compelling if troubling account of the state of elite education today, and the evolving social, sexual, racial, and economic forces that have shaped it.
Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal, edited by Graydon Carter, with an introduction by Cullen Murphy, brings together the magazine’s finest reporting on the scandals that have swept our nation’s most elite campuses over the past twenty-five years—all in one definitive, provocative volume.
The stories collected here speak to an American obsession with status and to the lengths we will go to achieve it, preserve it, or destroy it—from the enduring, shadowy influence of Yale’s secret societies to the infamous “senior salute” at St. Paul’s School; from the false accusations in the Duke lacrosse team’s infamous rape case to the (mis)reportage of a sexual assault at the University of Virginia; from a deadly extreme-sport episode at Oxford to the Keystone Kop theft of a college’s rare books to the allegations of fraud by the now-shuttered Trump University.
Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal brings focus to the perils facing American education today and how the life of the mind, and the significance of the institutions meant to foster it, has been negatively impacted by the partisan politics of privatization, tensions over so-called political correctness, the fraught dynamic of the teacher-student relationship, and what happens when visions for a bold future collide with the desire to maintain hidebound (or venerable) traditions.
With an array of Vanity Fair ’s signature writers—including Buzz Bissinger, William D. Cohan, Sarah Ellison, Evgenia Peretz, Todd S. Purdum, and Sam Tanenhaus, among others— Vanity Fair’s Schools for Scandal presents a compelling if troubling account of the state of elite education today, and the evolving social, sexual, racial, and economic forces that have shaped it.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published August 15, 2017
33 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Graydon Carter
145 books70 followersGraydon Carter is a Canadian journalist, editor, and publisher best known for his tenure as editor of Vanity Fair from 1992 to 2017. Before joining the magazine, he co-founded the satirical publication Spy in 1986 alongside Kurt Andersen and Tom Phillips. Under his leadership, Vanity Fair became known for its mix of celebrity profiles and investigative journalism, winning 14 National Magazine Awards and earning Carter a place in the Magazine Editors’ Hall of Fame.
Carter's editorial influence extended beyond print, as he played a key role in producing several documentaries, including Public Speaking (2010), His Way (2011), and Gonzo, a film about Hunter S. Thompson. He was also an executive producer of 9/11, a CBS documentary about the September 11 attacks, which won both an Emmy and a Peabody Award. In 2019, he co-launched the newsletter Air Mail with Alessandra Stanley, targeting a global readership.
Beyond journalism, Carter has been involved in the restaurant business, co-owning The Waverly Inn in New York and previously partnering in the historic Monkey Bar. His contributions to media and culture were recognized in 2017 when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
Carter's editorial influence extended beyond print, as he played a key role in producing several documentaries, including Public Speaking (2010), His Way (2011), and Gonzo, a film about Hunter S. Thompson. He was also an executive producer of 9/11, a CBS documentary about the September 11 attacks, which won both an Emmy and a Peabody Award. In 2019, he co-launched the newsletter Air Mail with Alessandra Stanley, targeting a global readership.
Beyond journalism, Carter has been involved in the restaurant business, co-owning The Waverly Inn in New York and previously partnering in the historic Monkey Bar. His contributions to media and culture were recognized in 2017 when he was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 3, 2017
Some extremely solid longreads but also some other ones. Unfortunately due to me being addicted to #controversialtakes I read all of these already.
March 22, 2018
Just when you got super-nostalgic for your school and college days, or just when you wondered if you were right and they really were that bad, along comes this collection of stories from Vanity Fair that will answer the question for you - one way or the other.
At first glance, the word “scandal” seems to indicate almost a playfulness at least in this day and age. After all, when your president is talking about grabbing women by their genitals the word “scandalous!” seems almost quaint. And yet. Looking at scandals of sex, mayhem, and even a suicide from various private schools and colleges is, in fact, really like reading any other true crime book. It is sometimes reason to face palm, sometimes reason to shake your head ruefully, and sometimes almost unbelievably sad. Let the reader beware.
I thought the description of the secret fraternity of Skull and Bones to be the most boring part of the book, so I’m somewhat surprised they led with it. In fairness, it was relevant at the time it was written. But if you don’t care, I honestly don’t blame you. Skip it and get on to other stories, which are much more interesting and have much more humanity on display.
I will always feel sorry for victims of hazing. I remember what I got up to in high school very well, so finding out kids in private schools were also doing it is less than shocking, even if those are the schools where The Future Leaders Of Our Country were educated. But I am horrified by the way women are treated in our military academies, and I am deeply saddened and enraged by the abuse cases that keep coming up. All in all, I don’t see that these upstanding institutions do all that much more for kids than a good public school, and certainly not as much as they say they do. Four of five stars.
At first glance, the word “scandal” seems to indicate almost a playfulness at least in this day and age. After all, when your president is talking about grabbing women by their genitals the word “scandalous!” seems almost quaint. And yet. Looking at scandals of sex, mayhem, and even a suicide from various private schools and colleges is, in fact, really like reading any other true crime book. It is sometimes reason to face palm, sometimes reason to shake your head ruefully, and sometimes almost unbelievably sad. Let the reader beware.
I thought the description of the secret fraternity of Skull and Bones to be the most boring part of the book, so I’m somewhat surprised they led with it. In fairness, it was relevant at the time it was written. But if you don’t care, I honestly don’t blame you. Skip it and get on to other stories, which are much more interesting and have much more humanity on display.
I will always feel sorry for victims of hazing. I remember what I got up to in high school very well, so finding out kids in private schools were also doing it is less than shocking, even if those are the schools where The Future Leaders Of Our Country were educated. But I am horrified by the way women are treated in our military academies, and I am deeply saddened and enraged by the abuse cases that keep coming up. All in all, I don’t see that these upstanding institutions do all that much more for kids than a good public school, and certainly not as much as they say they do. Four of five stars.
December 12, 2018
Now that I've read all of these major journalistic pieces I find myself using them as background knowledge more frequently than I'd expect
May 6, 2026
I picked up this book because one of the contributors is Todd S. Purdom, an author whose books I have enjoyed. I didn't really have any particular expectations for this book, so it kind of surprised me. It's an older book, so all the scandals are at least 10 years in the past; the final school scandal in the book being the fraud that was Trump University, and the last minute $25 million settlement that Trump paid to make the lawsuit - and the story - go away before the 2016 election.
What surprised me here was that I don't think I'd ever really contemplated the world of elite East Coast private schools before, and the majority of these stories take place in those kind of schools. I've known of these places, of course, seen them portrayed in movies, but never really thought about them. These schools are so different from the school experiences I had as an Orange County, California girl, running through open-air hallways and playing kickball and dodgeball on expansive green fields. And then going home to my parents and siblings at night, to interact and grow up with them.
These private schools struck me as so insular and cut off. Many of the scandals written about here were written by former students at the school they are covering, people who still cherish their experiences at these schools. I had to wonder if these were the right people to have objectively covered a scandal at their alma mater. The other part that was interesting was how many names are dropped in these different stories: Senators, Representatives, journalists, celebrities of all kinds. All these East Coast Elites went to these schools. And that in itself is, I guess, the added value of paying thousands of dollars a year for Schuyler and Skippy to go to St. Paul's, Phillips Exeter, St, George's School, etc., because s/he is going to meet all the "right" (wealthy) people.
Personally I can't imagine sending my 11-year-old off to some boarding school to be raised by strangers, to not be involved in their daily life. It is so alien to me. One person interviewed for one of the stories said he "grew up in Laguna Beach." But I don't see how that's possible if he went to high school in one of these cloisters. He "grew up" there.
Interesting book, and well-written. And Todd Purdom went to St. Paul's (which had TWO scandals worth writing about in this book).
What surprised me here was that I don't think I'd ever really contemplated the world of elite East Coast private schools before, and the majority of these stories take place in those kind of schools. I've known of these places, of course, seen them portrayed in movies, but never really thought about them. These schools are so different from the school experiences I had as an Orange County, California girl, running through open-air hallways and playing kickball and dodgeball on expansive green fields. And then going home to my parents and siblings at night, to interact and grow up with them.
These private schools struck me as so insular and cut off. Many of the scandals written about here were written by former students at the school they are covering, people who still cherish their experiences at these schools. I had to wonder if these were the right people to have objectively covered a scandal at their alma mater. The other part that was interesting was how many names are dropped in these different stories: Senators, Representatives, journalists, celebrities of all kinds. All these East Coast Elites went to these schools. And that in itself is, I guess, the added value of paying thousands of dollars a year for Schuyler and Skippy to go to St. Paul's, Phillips Exeter, St, George's School, etc., because s/he is going to meet all the "right" (wealthy) people.
Personally I can't imagine sending my 11-year-old off to some boarding school to be raised by strangers, to not be involved in their daily life. It is so alien to me. One person interviewed for one of the stories said he "grew up in Laguna Beach." But I don't see how that's possible if he went to high school in one of these cloisters. He "grew up" there.
Interesting book, and well-written. And Todd Purdom went to St. Paul's (which had TWO scandals worth writing about in this book).
July 18, 2017
This book is a compilation of Vanity Fair articles over the years about scandals at schools, both secondary and college level. The book includes frauds, secret societies, thefts, sexual assaults and money problems. Each article is given updates so that we know what happened after the article came out.
It's a fascinating and disturbing look at prominent schools, the problems that they have and how they handled or in some cases, didn't handle the situation. Each article is very well-written as expected from Vanity Fair. The only quibble is that some of the authors had attended the schools that they were writing about. I get the impression that they were fair in their reporting but it's hard to say for sure.
It's a fascinating and disturbing look at prominent schools, the problems that they have and how they handled or in some cases, didn't handle the situation. Each article is very well-written as expected from Vanity Fair. The only quibble is that some of the authors had attended the schools that they were writing about. I get the impression that they were fair in their reporting but it's hard to say for sure.
November 26, 2017
This was a most interesting collection of Vanity Fair articles about private schools. Some I had read, but most were new to me. Some were recent like the U of Va rape story, some much older. A glimpse into the lives of the very wealthy and the schools they attend and all the shenanigans and outright crimes that have been committed and the school’s response. A lot goes/went on in those places.
January 7, 2020
It's really hard to recommend this book because it is chock full of rape and other abuse stories that make it sickening to read. The articles are well-written and well-researched, but overall I am struggling to understand why this collection exists.
April 7, 2019
A great collection of former Vanity Fair articles. I am sure I have read many of them before, but I don't remember many of them, so enjoyed this a lot.
Want to Read
September 24, 2017Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews