First published 1991
Samuel Freedman follows English instructor Jessica Siegel through the 1987-88 school year at Seaward Park High School on Manhattan's Lower East Side. The aging, overcrowded school serves an overwhelmingly minority student body and ranks among the state's worst 10 percent of high schools. Yet somehow, 92 percent of its graduates continue to higher education. Freedman documents how Siegel and other dedicated teachers make this seemingly impossible outcome happen. The author alternates between Jessica's classroom experiences and the stories of remarkable students and staff members who refuse to give up despite crushing circumstances. Through intimate portraits of daily life at Seaward Park, Freedman reveals how a school can function and even succeed when everything seems stacked against it. The book captures the human drama behind education statistics and shows the individual battles fought within a system that appears broken from the outside.
Genres: american-fiction, education, non-fiction, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: against-all-odds, inspirational, underdog
Setting: Lower East Side, Manhattan, Seaward Park High School
Period: 1987-88 school year
448 pages · Library Binding · Bt Bound