Great Is the Truth: Secrecy, Scandal, and the Quest for Justice at the Horace Mann School

A shocking expose of sexual abuse and the struggle for justice at one of America’s most prestigious schools

In June 2012, Amos Kamil’s New York Times Magazine cover story, Prep-School Predators, caused a shock wave that is still rippling. In his piece, he detailed a decades-long pattern of sexual abuse at the highly prestigious Horace Mann School in the Bronx. After the article appeared, Kamil closely observed the fallout. While the article revealed the misdeeds of three teachers, this was just the beginning: An extraordinary twenty-two former Horace Mann teachers and administrators have since been accused of abuse.

In Great Is the Truth, Kamil and his coauthor, Sean Elder, tell the riveting story of how one of the country’s leading schools was beset by scandal. They relate what happened as survivors of abuse came forward and sought redress. We see the school and its influential backers circle the wagons. We meet Horace Mann alumni who work to change New York State’s sexual abuse laws. And we encounter a former teacher who candidly recalls his inappropriate relationships with students.

Great is the truth and it prevails may be the motto of Horace Mann, but for many alumni the truth remains all too hard to come by. This book is essential reading for anyone trying to understand how an elite institution can fail those in its charge, and what can be done about it.