"Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

Freedom Writers Diary is inspirational to both teachers and students. It is written by high schoolers who were considered "losers" by the school administration of Wilson High, a racially integrated school in Long Beach, California. No one expected them to graduate. They are teens write about their problems and how being in Erin Gruwell's class made a huge difference in their lives. It is a compilation of their journal entries. 

 

At the beginning of their freshman year, none of them expected to graduate and were just basically trying to survive another day. The language is offensive and the topics they write about include gangs, killing, drinking, drugs, teenage pregnancy, abortion, depression, and rape but they wrote about their experiences. It was interesting to see their values change as the book progressed and how they really got to like each other and turned their lives around, thanks to their English teacher going way above and beyond the "call of duty." Whereas at the beginning they saw each other only in terms of race, at the end they saw each other as all human beings and friends.

When I graduated from high school, I was just glad to be out. It was just assumed everyone would graduate. It was enlightening for me to see how happy these kids were about graduating and what a huge accomplishment it was for them. What struck me as very unusual though was that they all kept the same English teacher for all four years. No wonder they were like a "family." Teachers certainly can learn from Erin's optimism, determination, perseverance and methods. I look forward to reading the book she wrote, Teach With Your Heart.

(Karen's Review 2/19/09)

Better Than The Movie (13 stars)

 

I saw this movie on Showtime and was so impressed by it that I had to get the book that this English class wrote.  I'm glad I did.  This book is even better than the movie!  The movie dealt with motivating the kids to learn using "The Diary of A Young Girl" by Anne Frank.  The book goes into depth on a wide range of subjects that the kids wrote.  It's interesting to hear from these students.  It makes for VERY compelling reading to say the least, and Ms. Gruwell, you are an awesome teacher!  I really enjoyed this book.  Some of the subjects get a little repetitive but still the kids express their own opinions.  Read this book, you will be glad you did!

(Gerard's review 2/12/09):

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Diary Of A Young Girl" by Anne Frank

The Diary Of A Young Girl by Anne Frank (the definitive edition) is unique because it is a real diary of the Jewish girl, Anne Frank, that she started at age 13 and stopped when she was 15 during the time she was in hiding with seven other people. This is a historical document from the Holocaust.

Reading this gave me a real sense of how the Jews lived in fear during that time and how unfair life was. Anne writes all about her feelings about the people she lives with and the day-to-day struggles and fears she lived with for two years. The ending was very sad. It was her father though, who took care of her most treasured possession--her diary and shared it with the world to carry out her wish.

I found this to be an amazing book and am glad I finally read it. Anne Frank had a strong desire to have good character and become a journalist. She shares her dreams and insights of human nature based on the group dynamics she observed during her two years of confinement.

(Karen's review 2/6/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Huck by Janet Elder

Good Story, Compelling Reading--not so much. Huck by Janet Elder tells the true story of Janet Elder’s family: her husband, Rich and their son, Michael. Michael wanted a dog really bad. His parents resisted until Janet found out she had Cancer. All is well until on their vacation, back home Huck, their dog, got loose. I love pet books, especially with dogs but did not find Huck to be compelling reading. I liked that it has a happy ending and am glad for that!

Some other dog books I liked much better are:

Autobiography Of A Stray by Ann Martin
One Dog At A Time--Saving The Strays Of Afghanistan by Pen Farthing
I Thought You Were Dead by Pet Nelson
To The Rescue--Found Dogs With A Mission by Elise Lupkin
A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron
Big Little Life by Dean Koontz

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

At age 17, Alex recanted this story, saying he made it up.  See Boy Who Claimed He Went to Heaven Recants.  It's still a good story, but fiction.

This video is by the publisher of The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven which I thought really told about the book well:



The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey is the true story told by the father and son who were in a terrible car accident together.  Alex, the 6-yr. old son, was severely injured and was in a coma for two months.  Many people gathered to pray for him and when Alex woke up, he told his parents about seeing Jesus and how beautiful heaven was.  Angels ministered to him and he was able to see five angels surround his dad at the scene of the accident.  Alex is the first child to have the “Christopher Reed” surgery so he could breathe without a ventilator.  Alex talked about Jesus to everyone he met.

This is an inspiring story of hope to those who have loved ones in comas or who are trusting God for healing.  The purpose of writing this book is to show the power of God and be an encouragement to others.  It is a remarkable story and the things Alex mentions about heaven are scriptural and consistent with what Captain Black wrote about in his book, Flight to Heaven.  It was heartwarming to see how believers in Jesus supported the family and came through for them time and again to meet their needs. 

The father also shares about the struggles their family was going through in addition to taking care of Alex which included, a new baby who came home just the day before the accident, financial struggles, marriage issues. The message of what an amazing God we have is throughout the book.

It is thought provoking and although maybe not a page turner, I liked it. If you are interested in reading a modern-day account about angels, heaven and spiritual warfare, I highly recommend this book!
(Karen's review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Teaser Tuesday: "The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven" & "Room" & Better Together

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought I would play for fun! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teaser. 

Karen's:

While everyone was talking about my not living, Jesus said to me that I would survive the accident.  He also told me I would breathe on my own after some time had passed.

From p. 30 of The Boy Who Came Back From Heaven by Kevin & Alex Malarkey

Gerard's:

"Look, it's like on Dora," says Ma, "when she goes to one place and then a second place to get to the third place. For us it's Truck, Hospital, Police. Say it?"

From p. 110 of Room by Emma Donoghue

Ours:

It's nearly impossible to sit in a church pew absorbing Scripture for 30 years but doing little for those around you, and still claim to love God.  The Bible says, "The man who says, 'I know him,' but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him." (I John 2:4 NIV)

Taken from p. 21 of Better Together--What on earth are we here for? by Rick Warren.