After striking a chord with readers as a popular article, Excellent Sheep became a book. The author, William Deresiewicz, traveled to many institutions to talk with students about his ideas, which he used in the creation of this book. His thesis is that the system of elite higher education

…manufactures students who are smart and talented and driven, yes, but also anxious, timid, and lost, with little intellectual curiosity and a stunted sense of purpose: trapped in a bubble of privilege, heading meekly in the same direction, great at what they’re doing but with no idea why they’re doing it (3).

Deresiewicz begins by stating this book is sort of a letter to his younger, college-aged self. He went through many of the same things he writes about, seeing college as “the next thing” but unsure of its purpose or what to get out of it. He defines what he means by “elite” (the upper classes of American society) and “elite education” (more than just the top universities, but an entire support system trailing far back into a student’s education). The author explains that the title came from his students. In discussing the above ideas with them, one replied, “So are you saying that we’re all just, like, really excellent sheep?” (2).