The Freedom Writers Diary

Author: The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell

Pages: 311

Rating: This one verges on R, and it probably is R, but please don't let the rating affect your choice to read it! The book is self-described as "gritty and honest" and this is why I was forced to give it the R rating. You will find a lot of language, but mostly towards the beginning, and other things that are difficult to read about. However, if this book was any cleaner it would really lose its effect. The fact of the matter is, the kids in this book have had R-rated lives, and they wrote about them as they happened, without being censored. Please read my thoughts on the book in order to decide whether you want to read it or not!

Summary: As 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. So she and her students, using the treasured books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s Life in Sarajevo 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.”

With 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 People 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.

With powerful entries from the students’ own diaries and a narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students.


My Thoughts:While I will probably not usually  review non-fiction books, since most of what I read is fiction, this book is entirely worthwhile for anyone in high school or above. You may or may not have seen the movie by the same name, I haven't, but either way, the book is fantastic. Like I said in the rating, the book is pretty intense. These kids have experienced molestation, homelessness, physical and sexual abuse, racial hate crimes, witnessing the murder/death of several friends and family members, abortions, and much more. They write about all of these difficulties in sometimes graphic detail, but like I said, without these details, the book would not be nearly so powerful.

The book is made up of the diary entries of various (unnamed) students in Ms. Gruwell's English class, with an entry from Ms. Gruwell herself at the start of every school year. She encouraged them to fight back by writing about their experiences instead of perpetuating the cycle of violence that so many of them grew up with. The story is truly inspiring. It makes you realize how blessed you are, to have escaped such a terrible life, and if you're a person who has had a difficult past, the book can help you realize that you are not alone, and that if all these kids can make it, you can too.

It was also shocking to me to read these true stories about life in the 'hood, in bad neighborhoods, where gangs and drug dealers are a dime a dozen, and where every kid is wondering who is going to get shot next, and whether it will be him. Sometimes we have this idealized view of America as being this cutesy little place where everyone is happy, and no one is in danger. We don't realize what is going on in some areas of the country, and how hopeless the situations can feel for those people.

The book really celebrates diversity, tolerance, and the courage to shoot for your dreams, and to work hard to get there. The book teaches that discriminating and stereotyping are just plain stupid, and that everyone deserves a chance at life. I think for me the most enlightening entries were from kids who were illegal immigrants. Since I live in an area of the country where illegal immigrants are all over the place, and where I was one of the few white kids in my middle school, that part really hit home for me. I had never really thought before about how difficult it is for an illegal immigrant to improve himself. An entry near the end of the book, written by an illegal, described his struggle. He had always done well in school and desperately wanted to attend college and become even better, but without a Social Security number, this dream was impossible. The book really helps you feel empathy for all sorts of people, from all walks of life.

One of my favorite quotes near the end of the book is this, "It doesn't matter if your inspiration in life comes from negative or positive events. The most important thing is to learn and go on." That's really the message of the book that I took away. It doesn't really matter where life has taken you. If you can just learn from everything and refuse to give up on moving forward, you will be just fine. This book is truly a worthwhile read.