A review by luann
The Freedom Writers Diary Teacher's Guide by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers

3.0

Towards the end of the book, one of the Freedom Writers looks back on their experiences in high school and says that they experienced a "wide range of triumphs and tragedies." That is a very true statement - especially the tragedy part! It seems like the Freedom Writers have had every problem you could think of and they aren't afraid to honestly share their experiences and feelings with the world. This isn't a book you want to read all at once. The amount of tragedy, heartbreak, and absolutely horrific things that happen to these kids can be a bit overwhelming. I started to wonder if any of them ever had anything happy or positive happen to them - besides having Erin Gruwell as a teacher, of course. Towards the end, the book did start to get a bit more positive, as the changes they made affected their lives and started to get noticed by family, friends, and even the public. The part I really loved was that they become voracious readers and read a wide variety of literature such as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Zlata's Diary, Romeo and Juliet, The Catcher in the Rye, and The Color Purple.

Note: There is some strong language and shocking situations described in some of the student's stories.