Solving the Student Loan Crisis: Dreams, Diplomas & A
Lifetime of Debt
1.
What inspired you
to write your book?
There
were several things that inspired me to write Solving the Student Loan Crisis: Dreams, Diplomas & a Lifetime of
Debt. First, I was on my way to becoming a professor, so I spent a lot of
time in academia. The topic of student loan debt came up often. I myself am
also a debtor, something I talk about openly in the beginning of the book. In
fact, my student loan debt, at least in part, led to the demise of my marriage,
one that lasted close to 10 years. But the topic also relates to my beliefs and
commitment to social justice.
When
I left academia, I went into publishing, and shortly thereafter, I launched a
blog called, All Education
Matters. This blog was originally intended to help me stay connected to
academia and explore all sorts of intellectual ideas (hence the reason behind
its name). However, shortly after I launched the blog or right around that time
the banks were bailed out by the US government. There was a lot of public
outrage, as many here will recall. So, a lot of people began asking, “Well, if
the banks were bailed out, what about students, too?” This is part of what
inspired me to begin exploring student loan debt, and that opened a huge can of
worms.
2.
What is it about?
The
book is about the student loan debt crisis in the US. I provide a history of
how it all began, documenting how higher education used to not only be
affordable but in some cases free. I start with the GI Bill in 1944 that was
implemented after soldiers returned from WWII. The government took a huge risk
by investing in millions of Americans and their educations, and it paid off.
But as time passed, investing in Americans, in terms of funding their
education, has gone in the opposite direction – the marker I begin with is when
President Reagan took office. Since that time there has been a total
disinvestment in higher education, and the cost of that has been placed on
students and taxpayers. I trace the rise of the student lending industry, and
discuss how it relates to the US government (politicians as well as the
Department of education) as well as universities (for-profits and non-profits).
All three of these institutions are culprits in creating this disastrous problem.
Let
me break it down: 43 million Americans are burdened with student loan debt.
Outstanding student loan debt has surpassed $1.3 trillion, and that figure just
continues to grow. There is no other country, particularly industrialized,
wealthy countries that have this sort of problem. In fact, in places like
Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and so forth, higher education is
essentially free. But our system has been perverted by becoming a “consumer
good,” and the notion of education as a public good has been lost by the
collective imagination. This is the result of Higher Ed, Inc, as I call it, and
the finacialization of debt. While a few in, for example, the student lending
industry are profiting, millions of Americans are finding that their lives are
being ruined, and only because they pursued higher education. Something needs
to change for those of us with burdened with debt, as this is hurting the
overall economy. So, even those Americans who don’t have student loan debt
should be concerned about the student loan crisis.
3. What do you hope will be the everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?
It
is my hope that people will overcome the shame of carrying this debt around –
this is critical. We all must begin to start having conversations about our
debt and what sort of role it plays in our personal lives. This sort of
openness can lead to action, and it is my hope that action will lead to people
getting involved in direct and creative ways to combat the crisis. In addition,
it is my hope that people consider the role of politics in this crisis, and how
voting for the right candidates can have a direct impact on bringing about
change we deserve.
4. What advice do you have for writers?
That’s
a great question! My answer is this – write, write, write. Write even when you
think what you’re writing is terrible. Write every single day. No matter what!
Your car has broken down? Write. Your boyfriend or girlfriend has broken up
with you, or you’re having some sort of interpersonal problems? Write. You are
struggling financially or having a tough time at your job? Write. And then
after you write, write, write, you must edit, edit, edit! Write and edit – do
this endlessly. That is my best advice to writers. It is a long battle. It took
me 3 years to finish this book, and the outcome was not what I expected. But
this work, I can say, I am so proud of it.
5. Where do you think the book publishing industry is heading?
I
think it is being tailored to micro audiences. In addition, the Internet
continues to play a huge role in the book publishing industry. The traditional
book publishing industry is struggling, so if you want to get published,
consider other alternatives.
6. What challenges did you have in writing your book?
I
hit a wall close to the end. I was more in the editing phase. I mean, I was
still writing, but was in a rewriting phase, and I was just completely and
utterly exhausted and burned out on the topic. I’ve been writing about the
student loan crisis for close to a decade. I didn’t have the enthusiasm and
steam that I had when I first began writing about the topic. That’s normal. So,
I had to figure out ways to get back into the topic, meaning to find that
interest and passion and love for it – that wasn’t easy. I think that’s when discipline
really had to come into play. I’ll be honest, writing a book isn’t fun. It
actually sucks the majority of the time. You doubt the quality of what you’re
writing. You doubt you’ll be able to finish it. You have so much self-doubt.
And there are so many platitudes out there that make it seem like writing a
book is such a romantic thing to do. But it isn’t at all. It is the furthest
thing from this romantic ideal many of us have when we think of writers sitting
down to write. It is isolating, frustrating, tough work.
With
all that said, when I held the final copy in my hand, the physical copy, I never felt prouder. It was such a battle getting
it done, with so many twists and turns, and there it was – my book – in my hands! So, while I said writing a book sucks, it is
well-worth it. I plan on doing it again. I guess I am a glutton for punishment!
7. If people can only buy one book this month, why should it be yours?
Look,
like I said above, 43 million Americans have student loan debt. Roughly 1 in 8
Americans owe student loan debt. I would wager that 1 in 6 Americans are
impacted by student loan debt. That is a huge number of people. In addition,
it’s multi-generational. Parents with student loan debt now have children burdened
with student loan debt. There is also the mental health side to this crisis
that no one has discussed – I am the only one who has explored it,
and I detail it at length in my book. There is a direct correlation between
depression and financial distress. I have also documented suicides. One
suicide, frankly, is too many, and there has been more than one suicide. So,
the emotional toll that this is taking on individuals is tremendous. You
combine that toll with how it hurts their families, their communities, and so
forth – this crisis is just catastrophic. I want people to be aware of how bad
it is, but at the same time, I want people to be aware that they are not alone
and that there are solutions that can be implemented now to solve it for current debtors.
About
The Author:
Cryn Johannsen has been a leading voice on this issue and an
advocate for students for over a decade. Her new book Solving the Student
Loan Crisis: Dreams, Diplomas & A Lifetime of Debt is a revealing
examination of the problem—its causes and its possible solutions. Cryn has authored numerous articles for
Huffington Post, The New England Journal of Higher Education, The Guardian, USA
Today, Truthout.org, Money
Crashers, and others. She has appeared on CNN, Headline News, and been
interviewed by NPR, The Wall Street Journal Radio, among many other outlets.
This book is the result of her six years of study and research into the crisis
and her ideas concerning solutions.
RECENT POSTS
2041: So, what will the
book market look like?
How liars, losers, and
manipulators get media coverage
How should writers do a
great Q & A?
The real payoff from
blogging for five years
Why must you promote
your book?
Can books lead us to the
truth?
What Book PR Is In Your
Equipment Bag?
In Death, Do Writers
Part With Their Work?
2016 Book Marketing &
Book Publicity Toolkit
Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.