Customer Reviews

Boys Themselves: A Return to Single-Sex Education

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Boys Themselves: A Return to Single-Sex Education by Michael Ruhlman

This book was written by Mr. Ruhlman before he gained fame with his "The Making of a Chef" and "The Soul of a Chef" combo; it was his first effort at reporting and writing a full length book. The method Ruhlman uses here is similar to the two later efforts; he spends the same amount of time as his subjects at their craft. In this case, that means he is present at University School, a boys only school in the Cleveland , OH area, from just prior to first class, day one, through graduation and a faculty party afterwards.

The difference in his approach in this effort is the lack of infiltration. Mr. Ruhlman is not posing as a student, or a faculty member; he has the Headmaster Richard Hawley's permission to wander as he wish, taking notes, asking questions, observing. This is completely different than the efforts Ruhlman takes to retain his anonymity from his subjects in "The Making of a Chef," and the first section of "The Soul of a Chef." One cannot help but wonder if a layer of two of self-consciousness wouldn't have been removed from some of the students and/or faculty members throughout if they were unaware of his intentions.

Another similarity is the writing itself; Ruhlman does a great job of taking real people and developing them as fully three dimensional characters throughout his books. We see development in students, faculty, and the headmaster as well as observations by the author himself which show his developing ideas regarding his topic. Through his eyes, Ruhlman makes these people become ones that you care about; you want to know what has happened to them since graduation day in the same sort of detail that he has given you with this school year.

In situations where there are large issues at the school, the problems are shown by every conceivable angle; student, faculty, parents, headmaster and occasionally his own thoughts. Philosophy and morality take up a great deal of time at the school. Some of the topics, as well as smaller issues amongst individuals, are followed throughout the book as they proceed and develop through the year.

The one problem I had was a slight lack of confidence Mr. Ruhlman had in his own writing sporadically throughout the book. He would follow up a well written paragraph with a blunt recap as if he felt he was perhaps too subtle in his descriptions. The full text of the book is reminiscent of this as well as we get 18 chapters of the school year, with wonderful descriptions of the differences between Single Sex and Co-Educational school systems. This is followed up by an explanational 19th chapter that wraps up his opinions on the topic.

This problem was a minor one however when compared to the lyrical writing, "character" development and subtle observations spread throughout the book.

3.5 Stars.

In 1993-94, Ruhlman returned to his alma mater, University School in Cleveland, to explore the workings of an all-boys school and study its headmaster, the famously idiosyncratic Rick Hawley. In this context, I'd be hard-pressed to outline all my issues with Ruhlman's project, but his "fly on the wall" presentation of teachers and classes is consistently evocative--real, familiar, and true to the private school life I experience as a private school teacher. However, Ruhlman stumbles as he explains. When he tries to make something of his observations--to comment on what's distinctive about boys schools or what Rick Hawley represents or what anything adds-up to--he teeters on rationalization. If, as he says in the book, Ruhlman wanted his readers to "fulfill" the "dramas" he presented, he should have let them. Better yet, he might have left this task to someone who was not an alum of the school.

Ruhlman brings the complexities of prep school to life in a manner in which few writers have accomplished. I both attended and have worked within some of the country's most notable prep schools. After my first year as an Upper School Head, I sat down one day and read the book cover to cover. Ruhlman's protrait of the teachers and students is fascinating. He takes the time to develop characters, especailly the indefteabable head of school, Richard Hawley. Ruhlman goes beyond just reporting what he sees. He engages himself and others in a dialgue that constantly questions the ethos of the school. In one interesting scence, he describes how a senior speech got out of control. Ruhlman gives us the fallout from this display of "entitlement disorder" from all the angles; students, teachers and administrators. Ruhlman also takes the time to venture into the debate over single-sex education. He handles this challenge with grace. However, for me this book was more like an ethnography of a school. Ruhlman provides the reader with a fascinating behind the scences account of a most interesting school. The appeal of this book should be wider than prep school audieance. However, if you are interested in independent school education this is a must read. Bravo to Ruhlman for doing justice to such a complex subject.

I am a University School alumnus and attended the school when many of the people described in this book (including Richard Hawley) were there. Ruhlman has definitely caputured the ethos of the place. I question, though, whether the portrait makes a compelling case for boys' schools. In reading the book, I was reminded of undercurrents of intolerance and "group thinking" that may be part of all adolescents but which seem particularly pronounced when boys are amongst themselves. The book also reminded me of how a provincial, almost smug muscular Episcopalianism is the school's unofficial culture (the school is theoretically non-sectarian). While these negatives came out, there was nothing presented that suggested anything positive about an all-male environment. We are given a case study with little analysis of the importance of the all male culture. As a result, one sees the merits of prep-school, i.e. resources, small classes and attentive faculty, but is left with no sense of why being all male is relevant. And one does see some demerits of not having a coed school.