Book Description: '[A]n engrossing examination of Harvard University and its extraordinary influence on American life. ... [W]hy, in a nation with many outstanding universities, should one be singled out as the alma mater of the power elite? Is the Harvard mystique a myth, nothing more than a bloated reputation that feeds on itself? Or is it justly deserved, based on a substantial record of superior achievement by both faculty and graduates?'--from jacket flap.