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Among Schoolchildren -- Reader's Ink March 2007 Book |
 Among Schoolchildren, by Tracy Kidder is the March 2007 pick for the Reader's Ink book club. Kidder has written several works of non-fiction. In 1981, he won
the Pulitzer prize for his work, The Soul of a New Machine, about a computer design
team's creation of a new computer.
Publisher Weekly Review
Christine Zajac teaches fifth grade in a racially mixed school in a
poor district of Holyoke, Mass. About half of her students are
Hispanic; many come from broken homes. Through Kidder's calmly detailed
re-creation of Zajac's daily round, we come to know her students' fears
and inmost strivings; we also share this teacher's frustrations,
loneliness and the rush of satisfaction that comes with helping
students learn. It's a tough job: in one social studies class, half the
pupils can't name the country they live in. Kidder ( House ; The Soul
of a New Machine ) writes with sensitivity of Zajac's Irish-Catholic
roots, of the need for educational reform and of the Holyoke Puerto
Ricans' struggles for equality and success. We see Kelly School as a
compelling microcosm of what is wrong--and right--with our educational
system. Author tour. Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 09 February 2007 )
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