The author argues that we are failing to prepare today's young people to
be responsible American citizens--to the detriment of their life
prospects and those of liberty in the United States of the future. He
identifies the problems--the declines in civic purpose and patriotism,
crises of faith, cynicism, self-absorption, ignorance, indifference to
the common good--and shows that our disregard of civic and moral virtue
as an educational priority is having a tangible effect on the attitudes,
understanding, and behavior of large portions of the youth in our
country today.