Finding the Words: The Education of James O. Freedman

James Freedman, the fifteenth president of Dartmouth College, began life in a struggling middle-class Jewish family in a provincial industrial New Hampshire town. By the time of his death from cancer in March 2006, he was one of the most celebrated educational leaders of his generation, perhaps of the twentieth century. Finding the Words is Freedman's account of the first twenty-seven years of this astonishing trajectory in a life made difficult by depression, but sustained throughout by a love of books and learning, a life that would transform the culture of American higher education. His mother's fierce and bruising ambition instilled in him an overwhelming drive to leave his mark upon the world. His father, a revered high-school English teacher who was timid outside the classroom, introduced him to the rich world of literature--and also passed on to him his doubts and insecurities. Freedman retraces his intellectual formation as a student, educator, scholar, and leader, from his early?obsession with book collecting through his undergraduate years at Harvard and his professional training at Yale Law School. This same passion for language and ideas defined Freedman's leadership at Dartmouth, where he deftly countered lingering anti-Semitism, fought entrenched interests to open the way for women and minorities, reformed and revitalized the curriculum, and boldly reconceived the school's campus. This moving and inspiring book vividly depicts the formative years of a man nourished by lifelong learning, whose rise from humble beginnings to heights of achievement will serve as a model for generations to come.

Table of Contents:
Foreword by David Halberstam ix Publisher's Preface xvii Acknowledgments xix Chapter 1: Prologue 1 Chapter 2: Family 6 Chapter 3: Manchester 51 Chapter 4: Growing Up 72 Chapter 5: Central High School 104 Chapter 6: A Passion for Collecting 121 Chapter 7: The Fifties 136 Chapter 8: Harvard College 147 Chapter 9: Teachers and Teaching (1) 210 Chapter 10: Harvard Law School and the Union Leader 238 Chapter 11: Yale Law School 270 Chapter 12: Teachers and Teaching (2) 301 Chapter 13: Epilogue 317 Index 323

About the Author :
James O. Freedman was President of Dartmouth College from 1987 to 1998. His books include Liberal Education and the Public Interest and Idealism and Liberal Education.

Review :
"While the book traces in powerful and affecting language Freedman's personal journey--from isolated, self-doubting, New Hampshire Jew to accomplished Yale Law School graduate--it also paints a broader equally affecting picture of the timeless power of education in such a transformation... Beyond its heartfelt lessons, the book offers a joyful reading experience... As he was in life, Freedman, in his posthumously published memoir, remains a passionate advocate of the power of ideas and the importance of a liberal arts education in a society that can only thrive and survive if its discourse is civilized and informed."--Bill Pruden, National Association for College Admission Counseling "The best reason to read Finding the Words is to sample Freedman's insatiable passion for reading and learning... The portrait of Freedman that emerges from Finding the Words is of a shy young man who built a persona out of books."--Alex Hanson, The Valley News "Beyond its heartfelt lessons, the book offers a joyful reading experience. Whether paying homage to the memorable teachers whose influence proved to be life long or recalling with obvious delight the books and authors that opened up new worlds for a shy boy with big ears, on page after page, Freedman, as the title suggests, finds the words that illustrate, in the most human terms, the power and importance of education for both a society and its citizens."--Bill Pruden, NACAC News