The Attentive Mind: Matriculation Fixation, Ali in Havana, and The Disposable Rocket Summary and Analysis

Matriculation Fixation by Joe Queenan: Queenan reflects on the American obsession with universities and the status which a top-tier university bestows, both on the young people who attend and their parents who send them. There is a tacit assumption that going to a good university is some guarantee of subsequent professional success. Of course, many people succeed who go to middling universities and many people fail who go to elite universities.

Ali in Havana by Gay Talese: Talese recounts accompanying boxer Muhammad Ali on a trip to visit Fidel Castro in Cuba. Ali was a worldwide icon and was seen as a leader of the black community. He was an important player in the civil rights movements. Castro, though...