Book Reviews of The Freedom Writers Diary : How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them

Very good! I wanted to read the book before I saw the movie, but as "timing" would have it, I ended up in the theatre befre I started the book. I really enjoyed both. They were different. BUT, I definitely would have enjoyed both much more if I had "read" then "saw." I recommend you skip the movie until you read the book.

I loved this book. I am in school to become a teacher and i loved reading the entries and how the students changed over time. This book has been recommended in several of my college courses.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I read it before the movie came out. I've seen the movie and this book is a more in depth look at the students' diaries. Very eye opening!

The moving film-version of this story led me to read the true-life accounts collected in this equally-emotional book, written by kids in the early 1990s whose lives of gang violence and racial hatred seemed ready to consume them before a caring teacher dared to help change the course of their lives. "The Freedom Writers Diary" contains anonymous journal entries from the high schoolers of Erin Gruwell's English classes, and they explore the devastating lives the kids were living at the time. Frequently, the entries detail the violence, hatred, and anger the kids possessed, but they go further than that to reveal the simple, yet honest, truth: despite their environment and other sociological factors, these kids were and are human beings. Read this book for a powerful true-life account of the veracity of the human spirit, and be uplifted and enlightened.

There is some strong language in this book, but overall, it is a good book. It gets its point across in a meaningful way. I think I enjoyed this book all the more being a teacher.

Straight from the front line of urban America, the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students. With powerful entries from the students' own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell. This story is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.

Felt that it wasn't as "pure" as the author would lead you too believe. Seems edited for effect.

A book about kids with a sad story to tell and a teacher who wants to listen. They all write a diary about their lives to show to the teacher. The teacher cares about their education and fights for it. Very inspirational!

This was such a great book. I really really loved it. I haven't seen the movie yet and i think the book will no doubt be better. Well worth the time i spent and i would read it again. I think this woman was placed by God right where she was needed the most & WOW what a teacher she is!!!

I thought the movie was better. The story of what this teacher did is truly amazing, but this book is tough to get through. It is just a collection of diary entries from different students, so it's difficult to follow a story. In the beginning I struggled to determine whether I was reading the same person more than once or whether every entry was from a different person. It wasn't until the end that I figured out that each entry was from a different student. I would read the book BEFORE seeing the movie if you haven't already seen it.

i enjoyed this book. it gave me some great insight and a lot of food for thought hearing from so many young folks wanting to change the world. it inspired me to think about what would happen if every teacher could treat their classroom full of kids the way that this teacher did. i want an update on where the freedom writers are now!

Erin Gruwell was a first-year high school teacher. She was teaching tough kids in Long Beach, CA. Her students are the lowest at the school so she begins with diaries written by others to have them create diaries of their own. She was able to stay with these students for all four years of high school. The she decided to teach college to new teachers.

I teach. I teach well. An yet I find myself discouraged when I read books like this. Not because of the state of education or students in America. I find it depressing that to be lifted up as a good teacher you must sacrifice everything else in your life. She gives up virtually all her free time, her marriage and sometimes even her reputation. This is why she was only a teacher for 4 years.

As a friend put it: "What the the educational system in America needs are distance runners not flashy sprinters." If you are a new teacher, please don't read this book. Find a mentor who has been teaching for 10 years. It will be far more practical and helpful for you.

The best review I have seen: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/19/opinion/19moore.html?ex=1169960400&en=03ab43adeddfe1ed&ei=5070

Reviewed by Taylor Rector for TeensReadToo.com

This is the book that the movie "The Freedom Writers" is based on. These are the diaries of the students put into one book.

There are no names used in the book--each diary entry has a number, so that the students could feel free to write what they wanted without knowing exactly who wrote what. Personally, I think this is a great idea because the diary entries were very open and you could tell the students wrote exactly what they felt.

THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY is a truly excellent book, because everything is so real and most of The Freedom Writers had to grow up at an extremely early age. Many had their innocence taken away around the age of ten. The Rodney King riots were going on and the Columbine High School event occurred during the time of the book. These high school students had seen more murder and dead bodies then most people will ever see in their entire lives.

99% of The Freedom Writers have even been shot at. This is an extremely true and eye-opening statistic. Segregation is still an issue in the United States, even though many people don't have to deal with it. This book taught me a lot about tolerance and what happens on the streets of Long Beach, California.

Great book. Really great. Heartbreaking in parts.

Inspiring.