Kolodny’s first two books were "The Lay of the Land: Metaphor as Experience and History in American Life and Letters" (University of North Carolina Press, 1975) and "The Land Before Her: Fantasy and Experience of the American Frontiers, 1630-1860 "(University of North Carolina Press, 1984); both of these texts deal with environmental concerns and the historic destruction of the land (Jay 217). Based on her experience as a senior administrator in higher education, Kolodny published "Failing the Future: A Dean Looks at Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century" (Duke University Press, 1998), which "details the extent to which women and non-white students are still outsiders on American campuses." The book also examines the status of the humanities disciplines in higher education, the value of tenure, and the need for family friendly policies on campus. It is a book about needed educational innovations in the twenty-first century.