Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156226 in Books
• Published on: 1999-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 336 pages

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
This is the book that the movie "The Freedom Writers" is based on. These are the diaries of the students put into one book.

There are no names used in the book--each diary entry has a number, so that the students could feel free to write what they wanted without knowing exactly who wrote what. Personally, I think this is a great idea because the diary entries were very open and you could tell the students wrote exactly what they felt.

THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY is a truly excellent book, because everything is so real and most of The Freedom Writers had to grow up at an extremely early age. Many had their innocence taken away around the age of ten. The Rodney King riots were going on and the Columbine High School event occurred during the time of the book. These high school students had seen more murder and dead bodies then most people will ever see in their entire lives.

99% of The Freedom Writers have even been shot at. This is an extremely true and eye-opening statistic. Segregation is still an issue in the United States, even though many people don't have to deal with it. This book taught me a lot about tolerance and what happens on the streets of Long Beach, California.

Reviewed by: Taylor Rector

Very inspiring read
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The youths who took part in the writing project, under the visionary leadership and care of their teachers Erin Gruwell diserve a medal for the way they changed themselves and inspired others. Their heartrending stories have many times brought tears to my eyes. Thumbs up to all of them for overcoming very difficult circumstances and for wanting to make a difference in their lives and the lives of other youths. Keep on going, guys! I think you have already saved many lives with your testimonies. Highly, highly recommend this book for all teachers and educators and anyone interested in the education of our youths, their future and their welfare.

Sad but inspiring accounts
This book contains sad and graphic accounts of the lives of inner city students in the form of over 100 personal diary recollections. The students describe in detail physical and sexual abuse. The accounts contain graphic language and often extreme violence, which makes the book unsuitable for all readers, though the nature of these descriptions is a reflection of each student's life and the dangers they face. This book allows the reader to understand the perspective of students and develop empathy for them rather than passing judgment according to abstract and unrealistic standards. Social workers and teachers would gain a lot from this book but it's appeal isn't limited to them.

Other books that I highly recommend are the novel "Nexus" by Morrison and Singh, which offers a poignant journey of people trying to overcome pain at a spiritual retreat and "The Pursuit of Happyness" by Chris Gardner, which has become a movie starring Will Smith.