A damning expose of how the university system ingrains privilege and injustice at every level of American society.

‘Indelible and extraordinary, a powerful reckoning with just how far we’ve allowed reality to drift from our ideals.’ Tara Westover, New York Times Book Review

We’re told that universities are our greatest driver of social mobility. But it’s a lie.

The Inequality Machine is a damning expose of how the university system ingrains injustice at every level of American society.

Paul Tough, bestselling author of How Children Succeed, exposes a world where small-town colleges go bust, while the most prestigious raise billions every year; where overstretched admissions officers are forced to pick rich candidates over smart ones; where black and working-class students are left to sink or swim on uncaring campuses. Along the way, he uncovers cutting-edge research from the academics leading the way to a new kind of university - one where students succeed not because of their background, but because of the quality of their minds.

The result is a call-to-arms for universities that work for everyone, and a manual for how we can make it happen.

‘Humanizes the process of higher education … Fascinating stories about efforts to remediate class disparities in higher education’ New Yorker