A new book covering the American college debt crisis features the story of two brothers who graduated from Pennsbury High School. Will Bunch wrote about his upcoming book in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Bunch’s book, After the Ivory Tower Falls, covers the divide between Americans who are college-educated and those who are not. In the book, Bunch uses the stories of several Philadelphia-area families who have been negatively affected by the seemingly impossible standards the American education system places on young adults. Two of those people mentioned in the book are Georgie and Redner, both graduates of Pennsbury High School.

Georgie, a firefighter and paramedic, committed suicide, while his brother John died of an overdose. Their mother, Jacqui, began to notice a trend of similar deaths in their school district.

Bunch, who spoke to Jacqui and several economists, surmised that deaths like these can be labelled as “deaths of despair”. One of the main recurring factors in these tragic deaths are young adults who do not have a college degree. In many cases, minute setbacks can cost these young people a college education, which can lead to depression and drug addiction. Bunch uses the Redner brothers’ story to highlight the near-impossible standards to get a higher education in America.

Read more about Bunch’s new book in The Philadelphia Inquirer.