A childhood stolen. A system built on cruelty. A memoir of survival and reckoning.
At just eight years old, Charles Spencer was sent away from home to attend an elite boarding school. What awaited him was a world of isolation, relentless discipline, and a culture of cruelty that defined an entire generation of students.
In A Very Private School, Spencer delivers a raw and deeply personal account of the trauma he endured, drawing from his own letters, diaries, and the memories of his classmates. He exposes the lasting scars of an antiquated system that prized endurance over empathy—and reflects on the lifelong impact of being abandoned so young.
An International Bestseller and Washington Post “Tour de Force,” this gripping memoir reclaims a stolen childhood and sheds light on a dark tradition.
