And even if psychotherapy or other interventions were more widely available, success can't be assured. Turning from the medical ambiguities, Thernstrom examines the larger Harvard setting. Here, readers are likely to find that the place defeats her, for she presents, but does not reconcile, conflicting views of how Harvard operates. The administrators have taken over Harvard. Somewhere between those two positions lie important truths about the University today.
Authority is diffuse, responsibility sometimes even more so.
That makes for certain vulnerabilities and inefficiencies, which seem to be part of the nature of academic institutions everywhere. For all its emotional heat, Thernstrom's book ultimately frustrates. The narrative of that chain of events, not mastered here, makes for a less melodramatic story than the horrible deaths of two young women, but it may be more likely to lead toward prevention and cure.