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The Freedom Writers Diary : How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them
enlarge	Authors: Freedom Writers, Zlata Filipovic Publisher: Main Street Books Category: Book List Price: ~~$13.95~~ Buy Used: $6.75 You Save: $7.20 (52%) New (58) Used (60) from $6.75 Media: Paperback Number Of Items: 1 Pages: 304 Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6 Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.4 x 1 ISBN: 038549422X Dewey Decimal Number: 305.235 EAN: 9780385494229 ASIN: 038549422X Publication Date: October 12, 1999 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Editorial Reviews: Product Description pStraight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students.brbrbrAs an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of #8220;unteachable, at-risk#8221; students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust#8212;only to be met by uncomprehending looks. So she and her students, using the treasured books iAnne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl/i and iZlata#8217;s Diary: A Child#8217;s Life in Sarajevo/i as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the #8220;Freedom Writers#8221; in homage to the civil rights activists #8220;The Freedom Riders.#8221;brbrWith funds raised by a #8220;Read-a-thon for Tolerance,#8221; they arranged for Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who sheltered the Frank family, to visit them in California, where she declared that Erin Gruwell#8217;s students were #8220;the real heroes.#8221; Their efforts have paid off spectacularly, both in terms of recognition#8212;appearances on #8220;Prime Time Live#8221; and #8220;All Things Considered,#8221; coverage in iPeople/i magazine, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley#8212;and educationally. All 150 Freedom Writers have graduated from high school and are now attending college.brbrWith powerful entries from the students#8217; own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, iThe Freedom Writers Diary/i is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. brbrThe authors#8217; proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation, an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers#8217; college tuition. Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, where some of her students are Freedom Writers./p

Customer Reviews: Read 95 more reviews... The Freedom Writer's Diary October 30, 2008 The Freedom Writers Diary is a powerful story of how one person changed 150 lives in their high school career. Mrs. Gruwell, a new teacher at Wilson High School, gets a class full of freshman misfits. "All these kids are in gangs and most have either been in jail or are on probation now." "They have always been the bad, stupid rejects so why would they change now?" She thinks all the people who made comments like these are exaggerating just to scare her. She doesn't think she will have to worry about stupid things like her pearls getting stolen or being made fun of. Mrs. Gruwell thinks all her kids will respect her because she's a teacher. She will soon find out that she is sadly mistaken.br /The bell rings but the seats in room 203 are empty. A few minutes later, a group of kids come stumbling in, slam down their books, and rearrange the desks into four different clicks: Latinos, Asians, African Americans, and whites. Mrs. Gruwell tries to get their attention, but is ignored. The kids start tormenting her on her young white skin. They are trying to make her cry because then she will most likely quit. They are horribly wrong because she is determined to make them better kids. Her class will soon learn that she is not joking around about their lives.br /Mrs. Gruwell makes it her goal to change their lives and show them that college can be a real possibility. She only wants to give them a brighter future so generations after them can follow. She has them read about great people such as Anne Frank and Zlata Filipovic and then write about how their lives are similar. The students find out that Mrs. Gruwell really does care and might be able to improve their lives. The class now loves writing and they all start staying until 10 or 11 o'clock at night to read and edit their peers' papers. Each student in the class keeps their own diary to see how far they have come since the beginning of the year. They say writing is how they can express themselves freely. Mrs. Gruwell acts as a second mom to all of these kids and she is changing their lives immensely. She has given them opportunities and shown them things that they never knew existed. Her class has gone to Washington D.C. to see where the Freedom Riders started their journey, met Zlata Filipovic and Miep Geis, and many other things too. They wrote and published their diaries so now other people can read about what they have accomplished and the goals they have met. Since the students have become famous, they are now referred as the class of room 203.br /It is an amazing experience to read this touching and life-changing story. It's great to read for any purpose including motivational, educational, or enjoyment. One person changed the class of room 203 and now that class is changing the world one person at a time by sharing their diaries.br / Freedom Writers a must read for all students and adults September 17, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful We have a lot to learn from these kids and their teacher. Great book! The Freedom Writers Diary August 31, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful I saw the movie which I enjoyed, and now am in the process of reading the book which I purchased on Amazon.....all good so far The Freedom Writers Diary : How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them August 14, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful An excellent read. It really opens your eyes to the world around us. Lots of laughs many tears and would love for a teacher like that around here for my children (England) that is! FAB!!!!! If fact have just ordered the other two related books x books August 4, 2008 0 out of 1 found this review helpful this is a very good book, because it can educate everyone about the importance of the respect of other poeple with a different culture.It's also very easy to be read and contemporary.

Copyright 2007 White Hat Communications.
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