So is America really that far behind in schooling our children? According to The Global Achievement Gap by Tony Wagner, American schools are falling far behind in giving kids the education they need to be success in college or to later become successful employees. Wagner details what he calls a “rapid descent in a dangerously obsolete and parochial” system in America. He claims the skills that matter most are critical thinking, leading by influence, adaptability and effective communications — things he claims are not taught in this country, where students are subjected to constant drilling of facts and dry presentations. Is he right? I don’t know, but he’s certainly going to tick some educators off.

New in fiction: The Glimmer Palace by Beatrice Colin, about Berlin in during the Weimar Era; Everything Undet the Sky by Matilde Asensi, an adventure story set in 1920s China; and The Bordeaux Betrayal, the latest wine country mystery from Ellen Crosby.