Book talk #5

Title: The freedom writers diary.
Author: The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell
Genre: Collection of essays

            In the beginning of the book it starts out with a young teacher who just got her teaching license. She finally gets her first job as a teacher at a school in the "projects". The school she teachs at has alot of students that really do not care about going to school. They don't think there is any point in going because you have to fight, or earn what you have. To them school isn't going to help. Alot of them are in gangs, and fight everyday. At there school there is alot of territory, or turf that each gang protects. Step on the wrong side, and it is on between the two gangs. Most of the students just go to school because they have to.
            In the middle of the book the teacher Mrs. Gruwell is working her way through the school year trying to find away to reach through to her students. She creates this way to reach out to them by having them write stories about their past, present, or future. She promises not to read them unless they want her to. As she reads them she finds out alot of interesting things that had happend to the students. Every one of them tell a different story. They all have different lives. They start to like Mrs. Gruwell because of the way she shows she actually cares about their education, and how they do in school.
            At the end of the book she has an impact on all of their lives. She helps them raise their english levels higher, and higher. She gave them things to look forward to, or to actually work torwards. Every promise she makes she ends up going through with it, and makes them believe that someone out there actually cares. She brings all of the students together. They come out of their groups, and start to acutally get to know eachother instead of just labeling.

That is all im going to tell about the book, I will leave the rest for you. I like this book because it really shows alot about people in their lives, and what actually goes on in some places.

-Kasey L. period 01