Accelerated
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Accelerated

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3.28 of 5 stars 3.28  ·  rating details  ·  442 ratings  ·  118 reviews
Every afternoon Sean Benning picks up his son, Toby, on the marble steps that lead into the prestigious Bradley School. Everything at Bradley is accelerated, 3rd graders read at the 6th grade level, they have labs and facilities to rival most universities, and the chess champions are the bullies.

A single dad and struggling artist, Sean sticks out like a sore thumb amongst...more
Hardcover, 288 pages
Published October 10th 2012 by Pegasus Books (first published October 2nd 2012)
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Alyssa
Despite being released in tasteful hardcover, this is the same kind of trashy thriller as The Select, with an evil private school instead of an evil med school. It actually reads as a pretty good parody of that type of book, which I can only hope was the author's intent.
Jenny Brenner
You certainly have to suspend reality to get into this book, which is perhaps a good thing since you wouldn't want to overidentify with the characters of this chlling, critical tale of Manhattan on speed--literally. The story-telling was fast and fun, but certainly in many cases the people and events came across as caricatures rather than as believable. I was hooked, however, from the very first page, and felt most connected to the protagonist and his uber-sweet son. I am assuming this was the i...more
Orland Outland
Very much the work of a "Lifetime movie" scriptwriter...the "big crisis" occurs exactly 2/3 of the way through. The research is almost literally cut and pasted in, in the form of article titles, etc. The "reveal" of the private school's dark secret is preposterous, as is the ridiculously happy ending in absolutely every way for absolutely every major "good" character, and the bad end for all the "bad" ones that it boggles description. The relationship between the mentally ill mother and the main...more
Julie G
Virtually plucked from the headlines, Accelerated explores the pressures on schools and students to meet performance standards. And the lengths to which some of them go to achieve the impossible.

Including drugging children who don't quite measure up.

Sean Benning, suddenly a single parent, is struggling to cope with his wife's abandonment, his son's grief, and The Bradley School - an Upper East Side elitist academy where learning is accelerated and performance is everything. Add in a crappy job w...more
Laura Anthony
The best thing about this book is the author's name. Okay, maybe it's not that bad but it certainly could have been better. The sex is gratuitous, and unbelievable, the plot is so thin that it's see-through, and the ending is pat and trite. In addition, Hruska throws around a lot of factoids about ADHD and the drugs used to treat it as if she has researched it. Unfortunately she does not include sources for her information thus raising questions about their validity. This is just irresponsible....more
Robbins Library
Sean's wife, Ellie, left him and their eight-year-old son, Toby, four months ago. Sean and Toby are getting by, but Sean is under pressure from the Bradley school - an expensive, exclusive, elite private Manhattan prep school (Toby's tuition is paid for by Ellie's parents) - to have Toby evaluated for ADD/ADHD and put on medication. Neither Sean nor Toby's tutor, Noah, nor Toby's new teacher, Jess Harper, think Toby needs the meds, but the school keeps pushing, and eventually Sean consents.

This...more
Gloria Feit
Once the reader gets past and accepts the initial premise of this novel, that there is an almost universal conspiracy to boost children’s learning power by declaring them victims of ADD or ADHD and prescribing Ritalin or similar drugs, then it becomes a heart-warming story. Sean Benn, a single father (the result of his wife’s abandoning him and their young son, Toby), is pressured to dose the boy, against his better judgment, after having refused for quite some time.

It should be noted that Toby’...more
Lauradownsify
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a highly impairing condition, associated with impulsivity, increased risk of substance abuse, risky sexual behavior,and increased risk of physical injury, just to name a few. By propagating the myth that this diagnosis is given to children who just have a harder time paying attention, this author is undercutting the validity of a condition which has a broad negative impact on the lives of those it affects. This author has no idea what she's talking abo...more
Beth Knight
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Jennifer
If what you want is an easy book to read on the beach, this would actually serve that need. I read it in a single gulp. However -- this book was hampered by the author's heavy-handed purpose and also by some clumsy characterizations and plotting.

The story starts out as a dig at affluent parenting and schooling. The main character, Evan, has a son at a pricey, exclusive, private elementary school. The book is at its most entertaining when it's skewering the practices of the school and all the lit...more
Gwyneth Stewart
I'm still on the fence about this book. It starts out as satire of upper class and driven Manhattanites, for whom getting their child into the right pre-school is a blood sport. The main characters, Sean and his son Toby, and in but not of that world. Sean is an artist who is paying his bills by working at a celebrity gossip magazine. Toby is a bright and artistic 3rd grader with a normal boy's level of restless energy, who is in one of Manhattan's premier private schools courtesy of his wealthy...more
Hollowspine
Accelerated is about a single dad, Sean, and his little boy, Toby, taking on drug baron big Pharma and the pill pushing elite private school that acts as its dealer. Sean's in-laws pay for the elite education at the Bradley School, even though Sean was reluctant to put Toby in the school, he couldn't turn down the chance to give his kid the best opportunity available to him. Hruska depicts Sean as the uber parent, luckily his apartment has a fixed rent, since he pays for Sean's afer school progr...more
Debra Martin
How far would you go to help your child get ahead at school? This is the question being put to Sean Benning. His son Toby is in third grade at the prestigious Bradley School. The outrageous tuition is being paid his wife's parents. When the wife takes off, Sean is left to pick up the pieces and take care of everything to do with Toby's education. When the school starts pressuring Sean to put Toby on ADHD medication, he balks at the idea, but reluctantly he gives in. He mistakenly believes that...more
Hannah
Apr 22, 2013 Hannah added it
In the fast-paced city of New York, the learning of the students at Bradley School is just as fast-paced. Eight-year-olds compose music, write essays, do algebra too advanced for their parents, and dine on salmon and lamb in the cafeteria, which is adjacent to the state-of-the-art computer lab.


The school seeks to educate the next generation of high-powered politicians, scientists, major league athletes, and high society figures. All they can offer is the best that money can buy, and money is s...more
Vivek Tejuja
A lot is expected from children these days. Actually, let me change that: Everything is expected from children these days. Even advertising for them is centered on faster, stronger, brighter, and smarter. That is the pre-requisite it seems of having a child and amidst all this I have often wondered how schools have changed. From what they used to be to what they have become. I often think children are not what they used to be – there are a lot of areas to cater to – studies, sports, and the extr...more
Noralo
I thought this book was entertaining and paired well with Triburbia, but to keep up that comparison would do Triburbia a great disservice. When the romance and conspiracy set in, the book quickly descended into treacly hollywood fodder. This book takes a real issue and simplifies it to the point where it's doing a disservice to anyone on the same side of the issue (even setting up the issue as good vs bad does a disservice). Disgusting, simplistic, offensive. I do not recommend.

I also had a real...more
Xxendlessautumnxx
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Christa Sgobba
This was just not a good book. I decided to give this a shot because the subject--over-medication of kids at swanky NYC private schools--seemed pretty interesting, but the story definitely didn't live up to it.

What went wrong? The whole thing just wasn't believable. The author seemed to have a hard time nailing down how an 8-year-old kid should act, making the kid seem more like a 5 year old in some spots but with the maturity of a high schooler in others. The grandparents were one-dimensionall...more
Joni Daniels
Children as resume: this book explores the pressure on parents from internal needs, social pressure, school, medical and psychologocal porfessional option/advice/influence an the potential consequences when things don't go according to plan. While I'll admit to finding Dad Sean's behavior wanting (he has no strong inner voice, seems baffled that he has grown up to be a father, husband, employee, has sex without thinking much about the consequences beyond the actual act) I also get that this is t...more
Juliet
I feel so lucky I got to read this book in galley way before all the press about it started--it's fun watching everybody else start discovering something you already know is pretty great.

The story is definitely entertaining and page-turning, but aside from the fact that this book is a great read, the eye-opening factor is very high. The reality of prescription drug usage against the backdrop of an education system that overburdens students, teachers, administrators and parents is something that...more
Kim
A scathing portrayal of the lengths that parents and school administrators will go to to ensure that the students at this exclusive private school in Manhattan succeed. This novel shows the school community as one that will make children do well on standardized tests, even to the point of overmedicating them. The author believes that, although there is a small number of children who benefit from drugs such as Ritalin, these drugs are often erroneously prescribed for young children who are just e...more
Lori Anaple


There is no denying that diagnosis of ADD and ADHD have increased in the past decade. I have no doubt of the legitimacy of the spectrum. What I do find so confusing/interesting is the increase and the reason why. I know this is a work of fiction, but I found it interesting, especially the inclusion of powerful prep schools and their role in this.

What I didn't like....Sean. he is a dolt. What a judgemental, narcissistic idiot. I think the author is trying to show him as flawed, but ultimately be...more
Melissa Lee-tammeus
I am still not sure how I feel about this book. It makes me really want to do my homework on ADHD and ADD. And I question if this was a political and medical war cry disguised as fiction. How true are all the facts spouted in the book and could this really happen? Maybe and probably does already. It definitely makes one question the use of psychotic drugs in children and this ideal of pushing our kids to the limits of academic achievements. Not sure I really cared about the characters, but I cou...more
Kristin Strong
Interesting premise. Main character well-enough drawn. But VERY poorly edited. Limited vocabulary -- people "whine" too much. Misspellings galore: for example, a song does not have a baseline; it has a BASS LINE. A large group of beings is not a hoard; it is a HORDE. Inconsistencies in narrative: When the main character is upset on the phone, he opens the conversation by "screaming"; later on he is just "almost shouting" at her. It's irritating. And I'm SICK of books where characters meet, screw...more
Corwin
I found this an entertaining read. As a parent with a child that may have ADHD this book does an excellent job of pressing all the usual hot buttons. Does my child really have a problem? Are schools just pushing ADHD meds to kids that don't need them to 'accelerate' them? Is the whole ADHD craze just a giant pharmaceutical conspiracy? This book does a good job of exploring these ideas in an entertaining way. Like others, I was disappointed that the book cites figures about ADHD medicines but giv...more
Terry
Mar 29, 2013 Terry added it
Read this because I saw quote in Oprah magazine....that equated o.t. Teaching correct pencil grip
To playing with dolls with fake breast implants and pretending tic tacs were pills.

Quote was taken out of context, but I still contacted the author and told her about the importance of a good. Pencil grip to produce good handwriting.
She actually replied and said she agreed with me ( but no apology for negative reference to o.t.

Anyway...glad I read this book. About private schools pushing their studen...more
Pete Danko
Bronwen Hruska spins a great tale here that -- especially if you are a parent, and even more so if you are a parent of a boy -- will get you thinking long and hard about how hard to push your kids and what to expect from them. Ms. Hruska has a lot of fun skewering the Manhattanites who send their charges to exclusive schools -- and you'll have fun reading about them -- but not too much fun; it's all rather disturbing, with a larger social commentary emerging about a culture increasingly disconne...more
Laura
This is a story of a man, Sean, and his 3rd grade son Toby and Toby's struggles at an exclusive private school in Manhattan. It revolves around Toby being diagnosed by ADHD and the repercussions of that misdiagnosis. It's a fascinating look at life in those private schools as well as an intriguing look at the use of Ritalin-type drugs to help kids do better in school. There is a mystery and also a love story within this story. It keeps you interested and has some surprises along the way. I thoug...more
Jake  Cox
This novel was a really great read because of it's taboo topic: medicating ADD/ADHD in children at the grade school level. Being someone who is hesitant to believe whole heartedly in the craze of ADD/ADHD in past decade, I feel this book was right up my alley. The displays an opinion on childhood medication that will make the reader be weary about prescribing such medication to their children. Are young children incapable of paying attention or remembering their responsibilities?...or are they d...more
Randy Briggs


This novel started out as a satire of Upper East Side schools, the students, and their parents. Then about halfway in, it turns into a child-drugging conspiracy. Having worked in schools, I found this premise totally believable . In my schools, there are large numbers of children on ADD meds, and each classroom has at least four personal monitors to assist these children. I enjoyed BOTH parts of the book. The second half was a tense, gripping tale about unraveling a conspiracy. As I said before...more
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Accelerated: A Novel (ebook)
Accelerated: A Novel (ebook)
Accelerated (Paperback)
5828653
I'm the Publisher of Soho Press and love my job. I get to read amazing books and bring the ones I love best into the world. I'm thrilled that this October, Pegasus Books will publish my first novel, ACCELERATED, about a father and son and the over-medication of school-age kids in this country. Before Soho, I was on staff at Entertainment Weekly, and my articles have appeared in The New York Times,...more
More about Bronwen Hruska...
Accelerated: A Novel

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