The Freedom Writer's Diary

Author: Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers

Summary: Ms. Gruwell, a naive young teacher, gets a job teaching freshman English at Wilson High in Long Beach. There is a lot of racial conflict, and the students there deal with hard things everyday such as gang wars, drugs, poverty, and abuse. She slowly wins them over, focusing her curriculum on tolerance, and the students' diary entries are part of the book.

Recommendation: I would highly recommend this book. It was very interesting to hear what the students had to say about things they faced every day, and made me appreciative of things I've been blessed with in my life.

Hearts: 5