My social justice class has, over the past few weeks, been reading books in book groups. We had five books to choose from, but no group could read the same book. My group of three ended up with The Freedom Writers Diary, which inspired the recent movie called Freedom Writers. None of us were really eager to read the book, as it wasn't our first choice, but we were soon to be surprised. The Freedom Writers Diary was a really great, moving book about troubled teenagers in Long Beach, California, and one teacher who turned their lives around. Over the course of 4 years at Wilson High School, Erin Gruwell turned 150 "unteachable, at-risk" students into young adults with hopes for a future. The book is comprised of exerpts from the journals that each student kept during their four years in her class. I felt as though, through the pages, they had connected with me - they told me their story. The obstacles and the fears they've had to face touched me. I was forced to evaluate the society in which we live, but it also allowed me to see that changing the world can begin with one small step. The book not only made me feel thankful for the life that I am able to live, but it also gave me hope that the world is still a good place. The Freedom Writers Diary was an eye-opening but heartwarming book that I strongly recommend! My book group may have lost out on our initial first choice, but we ultimately won by getting to read The Freedom Writers Diary.
