This book is part memoir, part critique of modern education and part query into how industrial civilization molds us for the worse. Jensen describes how he conducts his college writing courses and how he teaches prison inmates to write. Instead of focusing on traditional methods in writing, he asks his students to participate in a course on "how to live" and in turn write about that. Above all, his courses and his book invites you to ask yourself "Who are you?" and "What's the point?" But not in a bad way. You'll find out what the point is by yourself.