The Answer Is Always False

Lessons Learned from a Lifetime in Academia

By: Jim Schaffer

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Hardcover | 2 March 2026

At a Glance

Hardcover
232 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
22.86 x 15.24 x 1.75

Hardcover

$39.59

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Fifty years! That's a long time to spend in college - but apparently that's how long it took me to learn all my lessons. Through stories gathered from a lifetime in the wacky world of academia, the finest pub in Pennsylvania, and a home filled with wonderful (and occasionally quirky) women, you'll discover:

Why the answer is always false
The importance of emotional bank accounts
Why happiness is undervalued in academia - and why it shouldn't be
The powerful, often counterintuitive lessons learned from family and friends
The joy and impact of using stories and analogies as teaching tools
And why Bruce Springsteen absolutely cannot have thirty-five songs on anyone's top one hundred list

You'll also get a peek behind the curtain at how the academic sausage is made: from the "recruitment" of a talented and diverse student body, to the debate over equity versus equality in student life, to the ever-controversial topic of academic tenure. Along the way, you'll meet many of the remarkable students who - along with my wife, daughters, and friends - brought challenge, fulfillment, and a whole lot of happiness to my life.

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