Shocked by the teenage violence she witnessed during the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, Erin Gruwell became a teacher at a high school rampant with hostility and racial intolerance. For many of these students–whose ranks included substance abusers, gang members, the homeless, and victims of abuse–Gruwell was the first person to treat them with dignity, to believe in their potential and help them see it themselves. Soon, their loyalty towards their teacher and burning enthusiasm to help end violence and intolerance became a force of its own. Inspired by reading The Diary of Anne Frank and meeting Zlata Filipovic (the eleven-year old girl who wrote of her life in Sarajevo during the civil war), the students began a joint diary of their inner-city upbringings. Told through anonymous entries to protect their identities and allow for complete candor, The Freedom Writers Diary is filled with astounding vignettes from 150 students who, like civil rights activist Rosa Parks and the Freedom Riders, heard society tell them where to go–and refused to listen.

Proceeds from this book benefit the Freedom Writers Foundation, an organization set up to provide scholarships for underprivieged youth and to train teachers

A high school class of "at-risk" students in Long Beach, California, inspired by their English teacher, Erin Gruwell, kept this joint diary of anonymous entries. Three voices read, one for Gruwell, one for the girls, and one for the boys. These kids have rough lives, and the pieces range from puerile to horrific to moving as the class garners national and even international attention. All three narrators are clear, personable, and good at conveying emotion. But the snapshot quality and anonymity of the entries leads to sameness and a flattening effect, a fault of the text that the readers cannot overcome. This is a capable rendering of a sometimes frustrating book. W.M.

length: (cm)20.4 　　　 　　　　　 　　　　　 width:(cm)14

他們，自由寫手，美國長島威爾遜高中的新生，大多來自貧民區，傢庭破碎、參加黑幫、吸毒販毒，頑劣不化。

她，艾琳·格魯維爾，一位名校畢業的菜鳥老師，初齣茅廬，心懷理想。

在暴力頻發的203教室，她震驚於他們的所作所為，但沒有就此放棄，而是用募集的捐款和兼職賺來的薪資給學生們買課外讀物，帶領他們閱讀名著，赴華盛頓麵見教育部長，遊覽歐洲，教他們拿起筆真誠記錄眼前所見、耳中所聞、心中所思，一顆顆封閉的心靈次第打開，他們漸漸相信自己，開始夢想，開始仰望藍天……

本書是一份關於203教室的鮮活記錄，由艾琳和同學們的真實日記匯集而成。這些真誠的文字迅速傳遍美國，傳遍全世界，改變瞭他們自己，也改變瞭韆韆萬萬的讀者……