In the Deep Heart's Core
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Book Overview
In the fall of 1997, Michael Johnston went to the rural Mississippi Delta -- the "deep heart's core" of the South -- as a member of the Teach for America program, to become an English teacher in one of the poorest districts in the nation. At Greenville High School, he confronted a racially divided world in which his African-American students had to struggle daily against a legacy of crippling poverty and the scourges of drug addiction and gang violence that ravaged their community. In the Deep Heart's Core tells the story of how Johnston reached out to inspire his teenage students with all the means at his disposal -- from the language of the great poets to the strategies of chess to the vigor of athletics. Vibrantly alive with the rich atmosphere of the Mississippi Delta -- the haunting beauty of its hollows and the aching tragedy of its history -- In the Deep Heart's Core is a compassionate, eloquent, and profoundly moving book. It is an inspiring and unforgettable story of one young man's experience in the Teach for America program, and of how a new generation of teachers is reaching out to give hope to the students society has forgotten.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0802140246
ISBN13:9780802140241
Release Date:August 2003
Publisher:Grove Press
Length:240 Pages
Weight:0.70 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Author is genuinely interested in students, education issues
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I am a classmate and friend of the author at YLS and would like to refute the earlier character-attacking review from the YLS student. While I have not had the opportunity to read through the entire book myself, I have talked with the author about education issues and his book, and have found him to be highly informed. More importantly, I feel that he has a legitimate desire to improve the plight of those children from disadvantaged backgrounds through education reform.
Exactly what every student teacher should read
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I read this book after an urban student teaching experience, and I think that has the ability to really open a prospective-teacher's eyes to what they are about to face. Johnston provides the reader with a realistic account of urban education and how a first year teacher deals with the milestones of adolescence.
Startling testimony from the Deep South
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I was moved to tears many times while reading this book. Johnston's love for his newfound land is evident and his tender prose reads like poetry in parts. He clearly encountered countless hardships while teaching at Greenville High, but he is quick to take himself to task along with others, which shows his humility. I would recommend this beautifully written account to anyone interested in improving education in America.
A Bone-Tingling Account of Inequality in the Delta
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
What makes this book so uncommonly good is the author's refusal to hide behind the polite euphemisms of racial and social inequality that have for too long hampered most attempts to change the status quo in the deep South. This book's candid portrayals of hope and fear, frustration and tolerance at Greenville High make for a compelling read. Once you've started reading, you're hooked!
If you read ONE book this year...this should be it
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
This is one of the top 15 best books I have ever read. Its sensitivity coupled with vivid imagery and heartbreaking story are riveting. You will finish it quickly simply because you cannot put it down. Read it. Give it to your friends, teachers, former teachers, neighbors, strangers on the street. This author deserves to be read.
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