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Pontiac
In the inner sanctum of an elite 1960’s boarding school, boys test their boundaries and class when they welcome an outsider.
One New England boys’ boarding school, a bastion of the WASP aristocracy, has been holding out stubbornly against pressure to diversify. Grudgingly, St. Philip’s School in New Hampshire opens its doors to its first scholarship young Woodrow Skaggs from Pontiac, Michigan, the tough, rough-edged son of an autoworker.
Things do not go smoothly—the world portrayed in Pontiac may be shockingly inappropriate to the readers of today. The attitudes of the St. Philip’s students toward gender and sex cruelly predict the treatment girls will receive twenty years later when many of these schools become coeducational. And yet in their awkward, often violent attempts to figure each other out, the boys of St. Philip’s also provide a window to better, more tolerant times ahead.
Told through memories, vignettes, letters, and compelling conversation, Pontiac sees journalist and author Jim Schutze bring a keen and empathetic eye to the evolutions of culture in the twentieth century.
One New England boys’ boarding school, a bastion of the WASP aristocracy, has been holding out stubbornly against pressure to diversify. Grudgingly, St. Philip’s School in New Hampshire opens its doors to its first scholarship young Woodrow Skaggs from Pontiac, Michigan, the tough, rough-edged son of an autoworker.
Things do not go smoothly—the world portrayed in Pontiac may be shockingly inappropriate to the readers of today. The attitudes of the St. Philip’s students toward gender and sex cruelly predict the treatment girls will receive twenty years later when many of these schools become coeducational. And yet in their awkward, often violent attempts to figure each other out, the boys of St. Philip’s also provide a window to better, more tolerant times ahead.
Told through memories, vignettes, letters, and compelling conversation, Pontiac sees journalist and author Jim Schutze bring a keen and empathetic eye to the evolutions of culture in the twentieth century.
467 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 10, 2024
6 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 8, 2025
absolute gem, how has this not made it out into the open?
March 27, 2025
I've read dozens of books about boarding schools, for boys and girls This may be the BEST .
I'm impressed with Pontiac, a few hundred pages in 👍🏽👏🏽
It's the first time I've used Kindle app on my phone in a few years. My eyes are so weak I need a magnifying glass for my phone. I used to read Really fast, but this is slow. The Good part is that Schutze's characters are so interesting that I Keep Reading 😃
I've read Lots of boarding school books, girls and boys, rich and poor. This book makes those seem like 1 dimensional caricatures. I can SEE these people, And keep them straight in my head❣️ It's almost like watching it as a film. And they're not caricatures, they're People ❣️
It's set mostly in about 1960, with flash-forwards 60 or 70 years.
I'm impressed and delighted,
I'm impressed with Pontiac, a few hundred pages in 👍🏽👏🏽
It's the first time I've used Kindle app on my phone in a few years. My eyes are so weak I need a magnifying glass for my phone. I used to read Really fast, but this is slow. The Good part is that Schutze's characters are so interesting that I Keep Reading 😃
I've read Lots of boarding school books, girls and boys, rich and poor. This book makes those seem like 1 dimensional caricatures. I can SEE these people, And keep them straight in my head❣️ It's almost like watching it as a film. And they're not caricatures, they're People ❣️
It's set mostly in about 1960, with flash-forwards 60 or 70 years.
I'm impressed and delighted,
October 10, 2024
For fiction, my five star ratings are usually reserved for books that either move me emotionally or challenge me to consider a topic or time in a different light. This is definitely the latter.
What an unexpected fascinating view into the elite boarding school life where Woodrow Skaggs, nicknamed Pontiac, attends as a scholarship kid.
Of course you root for Pontiac to meet the challenges he faces, brought on by some of his elitist, judgmental classmates and school officials. Yet I was surprised how quickly I developed empathy for the privileged kids that have their own adolescent issues resulting from their wealth and upbringing.
I can't help but to think Jim's stellar journalistic talent is reflected in the writing of this book. You quickly get a feel for the issues and complexities for this time period, see the complexities from multiple sides, and open your perspective to realize it is not as black or white as you originally thought.
We are lucky to have Jim as a journalist and resident of Dallas. It has been great to hear his interviews at the various literary outlets.
What an unexpected fascinating view into the elite boarding school life where Woodrow Skaggs, nicknamed Pontiac, attends as a scholarship kid.
Of course you root for Pontiac to meet the challenges he faces, brought on by some of his elitist, judgmental classmates and school officials. Yet I was surprised how quickly I developed empathy for the privileged kids that have their own adolescent issues resulting from their wealth and upbringing.
I can't help but to think Jim's stellar journalistic talent is reflected in the writing of this book. You quickly get a feel for the issues and complexities for this time period, see the complexities from multiple sides, and open your perspective to realize it is not as black or white as you originally thought.
We are lucky to have Jim as a journalist and resident of Dallas. It has been great to hear his interviews at the various literary outlets.
December 22, 2025
This was such a good surprise of a book. I found it randomly at a bookstore in Dallas and only picked it up cuz i liked the cover, but I really enjoyed it! It's a story about the first scholarship kid to attend a super wealthy/elite boarding school in the east coast in the 1960s. The writing was pretty engaging and some of the themes really resonated with me too. The book also seems to be loosely based on the life of the author too. The stories in St. Phillips really captivated me but I didn't really care much for the "present-day" timeline, although I understand how it set up the framing for the actual stories. I also feel like some of the actions of the boys seemed kinda over the top but I didn't grow up in the 60s and I guess I was a more reserved 13 year old boy than most. Overall, it was a good read on themes of friendship, adaptability, privilege, and how disconnected some people are from the reality of most people lol
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews