{"product_id":"the-freedom-writers-diary-9780385494229","title":"The Freedom Writers Diary","description":"\u003cb\u003eStraight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of \"unteachable, at-risk\" students. One day she intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature, and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust--only to be met by uncomprehending looks. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSo she and her students, using the treasured books \u003ci\u003eAnne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eZlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo\u003c\/i\u003e as their guides, undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. They learned to see the parallels in these books to their own lives, recording their thoughts and feelings in diaries and dubbing themselves the \"Freedom Writers\" in homage to the civil rights activists \"The Freedom Riders.\" \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith funds raised by a \"Read-a-thon for Tolerance,\" they arranged for Miep Gies, the courageous Dutch woman who sheltered the Frank family, to visit them in California, where she declared that Erin Gruwell's students were \"the real heroes.\" Their efforts have paid off spectacularly, both in terms of recognition--appearances on \"Prime Time Live\" and \"All Things Considered,\" coverage in \u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley--and educationally. All 150 Freedom Writers have graduated from high school and are now attending college. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWith powerful entries from the students' own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, \u003ci\u003eThe Freedom Writers Diary\u003c\/i\u003e is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eErin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University, Long Beach, where some of her students are Freedom Writers. The authors' proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation, an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers' college tuition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Broadway Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 10\/12\/1999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780385494229\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 304\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.75lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.90h x 5.10w x 1.10d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/01\/1999 pg. 118\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/15\/1999 pg. 398\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAccelerated Reader Quiz #\/Name: \u003c\/b\u003e119161 \/ Freedom Writers Diary: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World a\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/b\u003e 6.4 \/ \u003cb\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/b\u003e Upper Grade \/ \u003cb\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/b\u003e 15\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"The Freedom Writers, Erin Gruwell","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":36636799565980,"sku":"9780385494229","price":16.15,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_44acd588-ab46-4280-a43c-e2dda339a719.jpg?v=1603843003","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/the-freedom-writers-diary-9780385494229","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}