The Freedom Writers Diary, Erin Gruwell
The Freedom Writers Diary, Erin Gruwell
4 Rating(s)
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The Freedom Writers Diary
How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

Author: Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers

Narrator: Dominic Hoffman, Bahni Turpin, Cassandra Campbell

Unabridged: 9 hr 11 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/17/2006


Synopsis

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The twentieth anniversary edition of the classic story of an incredible group of students and the teacher who inspired them, featuring updates on the students’ lives, new journal entries, and an introduction by Erin Gruwell
 
Now a public television documentary, Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart
 
In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach, California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks—none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank’s diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding. Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers.”
 
Consisting of powerful entries from the students’ diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. In the two decades since its original publication, the book has sold more than one million copies and inspired a major motion picture Freedom Writers. And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers, as they blend indispensable takes on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college—and watch their own children follow in their footsteps. The Freedom Writers Diary remains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances.

About The Author

Erin Gruwell, the Freedom Writers, and her nonprofit organization, The Freedom Writers Foundation, have received many awards, including the prestigious Spirit of Anne Frank Award. They have appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Primetime, Good Morning America, and The View, and more. Erin Gruwell is also a charismatic motivational speaker who spreads her dynamic message to students, teachers, and business people around the world. She lives in southern California.The Freedom Writers are a nonprofit organization that funds scholarships for disadvantaged students.Dominic Hoffman is a Los Angeles–based actor of stage, screen, and television. With a degree in English literature, he has appeared in such television shows as The ShieldNYPD Blue, and The Jamie Foxx Show. He attended the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts as well as the American Conservatory Theater.Bahni Turpin is a Los Angeles–based audiobook narrator and actress with many television and film credits. Bahni is a two-time Odyssey Award winner and a two-time recipient of the Audie Award for Best Solo Female Narration. She was named an Audible Narrator of the Year in 2016, and The American Library Association’s Voice of Choice for 2017, and in 2018 she was inducted into the Audible Hall of Fame. Bahni is also an ensemble member of Cornerstone Theater Company in Los Angeles. Cassandra Campbell is a prolific audiobook narrator with more than 700 titles to date. Winner of four Audie Awards and nominated for a dozen more, she was a 2018 inductee in Audible’s inaugural Narrator Hall of Fame. She has consistently been an AudioFile Magazine Best Narrator as well as a Publisher’s Weekly Best Narrator of the Year. As an acting teacher, she spent five years as a faculty member of the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and has performed in and directed dozens of plays at theaters across the country.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Corinne on April 16, 2017

True, this collective diary depicts racism quite poignantly, but what touched me deeply is this: how the teens use writing to come out of the confinement of racism and resurrect their self-esteem. A powerful, captivating narrative.......more

Goodreads review by Anne on May 10, 2008

I work in an inner city school. This doesn't quite touch on the way inner city schools really are. For instance, all the kids' writing is in standard English. My kids, when expressing how they really feel, use what I call Urban English. I just couldn't hear my kids in this book. I related a bit to t......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on November 20, 2011

The Freedom Writers Diary is an amazing, moving, and inspirational piece of art. It consists of a collection of diary entries written by the 150 Freedom Writers and their English teacher, Ms. Gurwell. All of these Freedom Writers are students at Wilson High School in Long Beach California, where th......more

Goodreads review by Kat on January 16, 2019

Basic Premise: First-year teacher Erin Gruwell is given the traditional assignment of her position: the classes none of the other teachers want. She goes on to inspire them to read, write, travel, and go to college. I almost feel guilty for giving this book two stars instead of five. I mean, it's an......more

Goodreads review by Krista on April 28, 2013

An interesting but ultimately unrealistic story of a high school teacher in an urban school in CA who does amazing things with her students. The unrealistic parts - first, the students write diary entries - what I missed immediately were student's voices. With one or two exceptions, they could have......more