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tiffanywang29's review against another edition
5.0
So good until the last line when she said we could be abolitionist CEOs but we'll ignore that for the rest of the beautifully woven narrative, theoretical, and practical assertions of abolition and freedom dreaming throughout.
kaitylou23's review against another edition
5.0
Anyone who works in education - teacher, administrator, teacher mentor, school board member - should be required to read this book. Love brilliantly explains the history of oppression and resistance most of us were never taught in school with her own personal vignettes of growing up in Rochester, New York. She has more expertise about education than Betsy DeVos has in her pinky finger. I would recommend that EVERY teacher read this book immediately. I highly recommend the audiobook!
hecman111's review against another edition
5.0
You want to cut a teacher deep? Refer to schools as “spirit-murdering,” and you’re well on your way. Yet such a reference only serves to strengthen the need for abolitionist teaching. Love calls attention to the ways in which education still can be a pathway to social justice, a place where coconspirators recognize and call attention to the root causes of (and their complicity in maintaining) racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, Islamophobia, and transphobia and work to create a system truly centered on the needs of, in her words, dark folx. If you don’t see this book as one of hope and inspiration, read it again.
lucas_madden's review against another edition
5.0
Every early childhood through college-level educator and administrator need to read this book, regardless of their status as a pre-service or tenured teacher.
cammielawton's review against another edition
5.0
Required reading. Love. Protect. Dismantle. Rebuild.
scottlovestoread's review against another edition
5.0
For any teacher who is passionate about teaching against oppression and wants to incorporate social justice work into practice.
literaryk's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, amazing read. It's informative, statistically and historically, while making a strong argument for abolitionist, intersectional teaching. It's heavy and powerful and makes you eager to read. I highlighted something on almost every page to keep and learn from. I may have to buy more copies because I want to share this with so many co workers!
bookherd's review against another edition
4.0
This is a critique of the current American educational system and a call to do better, especially for children of color. It condemns a mindset that parents, teachers, and children should be satisfied if a child merely survives primary and secondary education, and demands that children should get what they need to thrive from teachers and school. The book describes some of the ways that could happen--by teachers (as well as other community members) contributing to creating a "home place" for their students, for example, teaching students in whatever ways possible that they matter. There are chapters that explain the concept of educational survival and what it looks like, the ways racism shows up in education right now, the necessary ingredients of abolitionist teaching, along with examples of abolitionist teachers from the past, and the usefulness of critical race theory for creating a language to speak about the kinds of racism that has been mostly unacknowledged by whites in charge.
Bettina Love, the author, mixes this critique and primer on racism in education with examples of her own experience as a Black girl growing up in Rochester, NY, and her experiences as a teacher and a teacher educator. These anecdotes flesh out what she is writing about in a way that is helpful to someone who hasn't had her experiences, and in this way it is a very personal book. But she is careful to point out that it isn't enough to read a book or attend an anti-racism training for professional development. She says teachers need to get to know and love their individual students personally, in order to be invested in them, to want them to "win."
This book contains lots of references to events in the news, authors, and educational and critical race theories, all cited with endnotes. It's an inspiring book. There were some places where I thought Beacon Press could have done a better job editing, but I recommend this to anyone who works in education.
Bettina Love, the author, mixes this critique and primer on racism in education with examples of her own experience as a Black girl growing up in Rochester, NY, and her experiences as a teacher and a teacher educator. These anecdotes flesh out what she is writing about in a way that is helpful to someone who hasn't had her experiences, and in this way it is a very personal book. But she is careful to point out that it isn't enough to read a book or attend an anti-racism training for professional development. She says teachers need to get to know and love their individual students personally, in order to be invested in them, to want them to "win."
This book contains lots of references to events in the news, authors, and educational and critical race theories, all cited with endnotes. It's an inspiring book. There were some places where I thought Beacon Press could have done a better job editing, but I recommend this to anyone who works in education.