Book Review: "Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child"

Anthony Esolen's book, Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child, should be right beside Leonard Sax’ book, Boys Adrift, on the shelf of every pastor, school administrator and teacher who is serious about training up a child in the way he should go. The difference between the two is that Dr. Sax focuses specifically on boys whereas Dr. Esolen is interested in children in general, although he does consider boys in particular. The book is also a must read for those members of the “flattened” culture he describes (Kindle Location 238), who have been deprived of creative thinking by schools or homes and who have staggered headlong into the mindless tedium which the author challenges.  

Using superb irony, Dr. Esolen takes on the role of someone giving the reader advice on the dangers of imagination and the sure-fire ways of making sure it is not allowed to see the light of day. In so doing he both critiques why our culture would want to destroy imagination and exposes how the process is firmly entrenched. If the reader is not accustomed to irony there will be the need periodically to remind himself of the author’s style. Failure to do so could result in the mistake that the man is serious where he is in fact being facetious. 

His chapter titles are intriguing in their own right:

Keep Your Children Indoors as Much as Possible (or) They Used to Call It "Air"

Cut All Heroes Down to Size (or) Pottering with the Puny

Deny the Transcendent (or) Fix Above the Heads of Men the Lowest Ceiling of All

His ability to restate and thus expose accepted paradigms in thought-provoking ways is masterful.  

If we believe what we say, that "children are our greatest resource," then we need to do something about it. Resources are valuable because they are good, solid, dependable, and inert. (KL 76)

For the first time in human history, most people are doing things that could never interest a child enough to make him want to tag along. (KL 101) 

Some of his more convicting and thought-jarring comments need to be read in their context. They are, be assured, unforgettably irritating in the best of ways.

For the writer of this review, the book served five purposes. First, it encouraged and deepened a commitment to the role of imagination in embracing propositional truth. Second, it provided the challenge to keep on keeping on as an encourager to those who also pursue the gift of imagination. Third, it exposed the character and strategy of the political-educational-philosophical network which is dedicated to turning youth into “inert” human resources. Fourth, it provided a fresh perception of easily overlooked silliness in the materialistic reasoning of the culture’s high priests of thought management. Fifth, although not a book on Christian living, it generated motivation to enjoy a fresh look at the earth and sky that we meet each day and which tells me of their Creator and the privilege, through faith in Jesus Christ, to be found embraced in His saving grace.

Dr. Anthony Esolen, is Professor of English at Providence College in Rhode Island

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