The Freedom Writers Diary Author: Erin Gruwell | Language: English | ISBN:
B000Q9J092 | Format: EPUB
The Freedom Writers Diary Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER & NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTUREShocked by the teenage violence she witnessed during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, Erin Gruwell became a teacher at a high school rampant with hostility and racial intolerance. For many of these students–whose ranks included substance abusers, gang members, the homeless, and victims of abuse–Gruwell was the first person to treat them with dignity, to believe in their potential and help them see it themselves. Soon, their loyalty towards their teacher and burning enthusiasm to help end violence and intolerance became a force of its own. Inspired by reading
The Diary of Anne Frank and meeting Zlata Filipovic (the eleven-year old girl who wrote of her life in Sarajevo during the civil war), the students began a joint diary of their inner-city upbringings. Told through anonymous entries to protect their identities and allow for complete candor,
The Freedom Writers Diary is filled with astounding vignettes from 150 students who, like civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders, heard society tell them where to go–and refused to listen.
Proceeds from this book benefit the Freedom Writers Foundation, an organization set up to provide scholarships for underprivieged youth and to train teachers
- File Size: 1340 KB
- Print Length: 320 pages
- Publisher: Broadway Books (April 24, 2007)
- Sold by: Random House LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B000Q9J092
- Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
X-Ray:
- Lending: Not Enabled
- Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,138 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #2
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Contemporary Methods > Multicultural - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > College & University > Student Life - #4
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Philosophy & Social Aspects
- #2
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Contemporary Methods > Multicultural - #3
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > College & University > Student Life - #4
in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Education & Reference > Schools & Teaching > Education Theory > Philosophy & Social Aspects
I saw the movie, then went out and bought the book. I sat down and read the book cover to cover in one sitting; I couldn't put it down. It's true that this book has not been prettied up. There is harsh language, there is sex, and there is drugs. But the writers don't glorify sex or drugs. They speak honestly about their lives, including their struggles with addictions, abuse, pregnancy, and above all, violence.
The book works because it is real. Erin Gruell's teaching worked because she allowed the students to be real, to be honest, and to be themselves. If anything, the movie downplayed Erin Gruell's accomplishments. From the book, one learns that she started her efforts to reach out to the students, including working a second job, when she was still a student teacher, a time during which most teachers, even in "safe" suburban schools, are just trying to survive day to day. The book also points out that there were 150 "freedom writers" in five classes, not the one small class shown in the movie.
I have been teaching at the high school and college level for ten years. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is honestly interested in making education a more meaningful experience for the students. It's true that parts of the students' lives are not pretty. But that is exactly the point.
By Clark Dollard
The Freedom Writer's Diary is a truly amazing project that teacher, Erin Gruwell and her students created. The diary is insighful and offers much meaning to the reader. This book is the product of what young people can achieve.
The book is divided into a variety of topics where the students reflect on the assigned readings and make connections to their current realities. The parallels are often heart-wrenching and painful. These are their stories...
The Freedom Writers were students who were labelled as at-risk and unteachable until one remarkable person, Erin Gruwell entered their lives. Gruwell rejected the labels and saw the pontential that all young people possess, a lesson for us all.
The back cover of the book says it the best, through the use of literature and Erin Gruwell as the guide, the Freedom Writers, "undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding."
Highly recommended, read this and you will surely expand your awareness.
By Kelly Budd
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