This is the story of an English teacher in her first job in an inner city school. It is an epistolary novel (I confess I didn't know the meaning of that word, but it means "a novel written in a series of documents") -- in this case that means notes she exchanges with one of her fellow teachers, letters she writes to a good friend, memos from the administration at the school, and notes from her students. This school is hopelessly under-supplied, the administration issues directives that can't possibly be fulfilled, and the students have situations at home that break your heart. But it is a story about hope and determination and in the end -- who learns more -- the teacher or the students?
I happen to live in an area where the schools are very well-funded and so I don't know anything about some of the challenges faced by these characters but I'm willing to bet some of the nonsensical bureaucracy that is described would be familiar to any teacher who happens to read this book. I kind of wish I had read this when my kids were still in school -- I would have been much more sympathetic to what the teachers were facing every day. In fact, I'll bet most teachers would love to make this required reading for all parents enrolling their students in public school.
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