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

他们，自由写手，美国长岛威尔逊高中的新生，大多来自贫民区，家庭破碎、参加黑帮、吸毒贩毒，顽劣不化。

她，艾琳·格鲁维尔，一位名校毕业的菜鸟老师，初出茅庐，心怀理想。

在暴力频发的203教室，她震惊于他们的所作所为，但没有就此放弃，而是用募集的捐款和兼职赚来的薪资给学生们买课外读物，带领他们阅读名著，赴华盛顿面见教育部长，游览欧洲，教他们拿起笔真诚记录眼前所见、耳中所闻、心中所思，一颗颗封闭的心灵次第打开，他们渐渐相信自己，开始梦想，开始仰望蓝天……

本书是一份关于203教室的鲜活记录，由艾琳和同学们的真实日记汇集而成。这些真诚的文字迅速传遍美国，传遍全世界，改变了他们自己，也改变了千千万万的读者……