Making Book

This hilarious, biting satire centers around a feisty, idealistic teacher whose frustration with textbooks unexpectedly lands her a job as editor of a fifth grade American history book. Ellen wants "to bring history to the people ... like Barbara Tuchman"

She finds that creating this text is about selling to school districts while not offending any group. She becomes outraged when forced to omit a historical figure because he had a dicey background: he drank. Ellen gets little help from her ambitious assistant and her chic, bitter supervisor

The V.P. of the department, a sleazy, sexist, sexually harassing incompetent, is no help at all. Ellen's last hope is that the author, famous historian Professor Gregory Chrichton, will come to her defense and show them all how to reach students with the book

In a wickedly funny climax, she confronts the business of education and learns the difference between selling textbooks and teaching children

"Clever.... A welcome satire on political correctness" ~ New Yorker

"The slippery ethics of the textbook industry must provide a veritable roller coaster ride for the sensitive soul" ~ N.Y. Post