The Freedom Writers Diary
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- Create Date：2021-10-13 07:52:01
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Erin Gruwell
- ISBN：038549422X
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Summary
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER & NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE
Straight from the front line of urban America， the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students。
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。
The authors’ proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation， an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers’ college tuition。 Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University， Long Beach， where some of her students are Freedom Writers。
Straight from the front line of urban America， the inspiring story of one fiercely determined teacher and her remarkable students。
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。
The authors’ proceeds from this book will be donated to The Tolerance Education Foundation， an organization set up to pay for the Freedom Writers’ college tuition。 Erin Gruwell is now a visiting professor at California State University， Long Beach， where some of her students are Freedom Writers。
Reviews
Bailey Winter
，
The Freedom Writers Diary is a nonfiction book by English teacher Erin Gruwell and her students at Wilson High School in Long Beach， California， as they move from their freshman to senior years from 1994-1998。 The book is divided into eight major sections， one for the fall and spring of each year。 At the beginning of the book， the students stick with groups within their race and identify only with them。 As the book progresses the walls come down and the students learn to be more tolerant of peop The Freedom Writers Diary is a nonfiction book by English teacher Erin Gruwell and her students at Wilson High School in Long Beach， California， as they move from their freshman to senior years from 1994-1998。 The book is divided into eight major sections， one for the fall and spring of each year。 At the beginning of the book， the students stick with groups within their race and identify only with them。 As the book progresses the walls come down and the students learn to be more tolerant of people and races that are different from them。 。。。more
Noelia
，
I really liked the book， maybe even better than the movie。 The book just has more events happening than the movie has。 I really think that it's an inspirational book。 Like all the details about their backstories。 I really did enjoy reading it。 I really liked the book， maybe even better than the movie。 The book just has more events happening than the movie has。 I really think that it's an inspirational book。 Like all the details about their backstories。 I really did enjoy reading it。 。。。more
Pavel Kasperovich
，
It is the best inspiration I got from any book。 Just reading it gives me goose bumps and clear understanding how great is my life and how little my problems are。 So if you are as lucky in your life as myself and you think you have a serious problem， just read it。 If you are not so lucky， just read it to feel you are not alone in this world， and you can overcome everything （and good luck with that！）。
Danielle Palmer
，
I found this book very interesting and heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time。 I am amazed that ALL the students in her class obtained their high school diplomas， and over half of them graduated from college！ I agree with some negative points readers made （such as the author did not have a healthy work/life balance and seems a bit self focused， sets an unhealthy picture of success for other teachers， and took a lot of the individual “voice” out of the journal entries by editing） and yet I I found this book very interesting and heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time。 I am amazed that ALL the students in her class obtained their high school diplomas， and over half of them graduated from college！ I agree with some negative points readers made （such as the author did not have a healthy work/life balance and seems a bit self focused， sets an unhealthy picture of success for other teachers， and took a lot of the individual “voice” out of the journal entries by editing） and yet I still found the book worthwhile and the teacher amazing。 Planning on watching the movie and possibly reading the other book by the author。 Wish I could see the pbs special！ 。。。more
Patricia Bleile
，
This book was a very interesting read。 Normally， I would not choose this book to willingly read for fun。 I actually had to read this book for a class。 At first， I was not sure about the book， but then I began to get really into it and now I look forward to reading the sections that I need to read for class。 I would definitely recommend future teachers， as well as current teachers， to read this book。 There is also a movie of this on Netflix under the title， Freedom Writers。 I have not seen this m This book was a very interesting read。 Normally， I would not choose this book to willingly read for fun。 I actually had to read this book for a class。 At first， I was not sure about the book， but then I began to get really into it and now I look forward to reading the sections that I need to read for class。 I would definitely recommend future teachers， as well as current teachers， to read this book。 There is also a movie of this on Netflix under the title， Freedom Writers。 I have not seen this movie yet， but I am definitely going to watch it， and I very much look forward to watching it。 I would use this book in the classroom as a Literature Circle book， as well as have them complete different assignments that are based on the book。 Quizzes based on different parts of the book would definitely be in use。 If I do not use the book in that way， I would use the book in my classroom as a read aloud book for my students to listen to and complete worksheets and/or notes as I read the book aloud to the class。 。。。more
Carla Perrotta
，
This book is so inspiring as it displays diary entries from real people who went through， trauma， abuse， discrimination and so many more scenarios that still go on today。 it hurt to see so many kids who would've been around my age go through so much trouble and not being able to get help for it。 having sayings tattooed on themselves proving that their part of a gang， or having the fear of getting shot out of nowhere just shows how troubled the world was then。 the book shows that even if you're f This book is so inspiring as it displays diary entries from real people who went through， trauma， abuse， discrimination and so many more scenarios that still go on today。 it hurt to see so many kids who would've been around my age go through so much trouble and not being able to get help for it。 having sayings tattooed on themselves proving that their part of a gang， or having the fear of getting shot out of nowhere just shows how troubled the world was then。 the book shows that even if you're from the worst part in a city you can still come on top and be the best。 it was heartwarming seeing the kids in the book get all the recognition they earned and deserved。 Their teacher would be such an amazing teacher in highschools today helping kids who are less fortunate and helping them become their best selves are the teachers we need。 this is such an inspiring book and would totally recommend it to anyone。 。。。more
Amy
，
Absolute must read！！ If you have not yet or seen the movie of the same name， you most certainly should。 What I got from their stories was a teacher who stepped up to a group of students to show they were cared about and to guide them to make a change in their lives。 I cannot praise this enough。 We need more teachers like Ms。 G！
Jai Dowdy
，
an amazing book， plus it's a true story， and i can also relate to this book。 an amazing book， plus it's a true story， and i can also relate to this book。 。。。more
Bret
，
This is a very powerful book that is full of diary entries from troubled students。 This book would be great in an English class full of high school students where they can compare and contrast their own lives with the lives of these students。
Tiffany Manning
，
The Freedom Writers Diary is a must read。 It will help you see the world in a brand new way and show you that just like them， you can create your own success story。
Karen
，
Erin Gruwell is a living example of the saying， “Students will not care to know what you know until they know that you care！ “ With courage and determination， newbie teacher Gruwell sets out to reach her unprivileged students by exposing them to literature of “survivors” such as Anne Frank and Zlata Filopec。 I have seen the film， “Freedom Writers” starring Hilary Swank twice， but it is this collection of actual student writings that SHOUTS of the impact a creative， dedicated teacher can have and Erin Gruwell is a living example of the saying， “Students will not care to know what you know until they know that you care！ “ With courage and determination， newbie teacher Gruwell sets out to reach her unprivileged students by exposing them to literature of “survivors” such as Anne Frank and Zlata Filopec。 I have seen the film， “Freedom Writers” starring Hilary Swank twice， but it is this collection of actual student writings that SHOUTS of the impact a creative， dedicated teacher can have and the obvious thirst for knowledge many “ unreachable at-risk students” have。 I highly recommend this book and film to teachers， young and old。 I think it inspires us to remember what and why we became teachers in the first place！ It isn’t new， but it isn’t stale。 Another reviewer commented that these entries seemed too perfect。 I am not sure whether the editor， publisher， or Erin Gruwell herself is responsible for over editing？ I think the book would have been more charming with the inevitable misspellings and grammatical errors， BUT even so， it still is relevant and inspirational。 。。。more
Miriam Rose
，
Seemed like there were some pieces of real stories there but it honestly read like a white savior narrative with the same voice throughout the book。
Brad
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I was torn about giving this book 3 stars。 The end was just redeeming enough for 4 stars。 I didn't like that none of the stories tied to one another so it ended up being a bunch off horrible stories about rough childhoods with a few good stories sprinkled in。 It would have been nice to hear writer 1's bad story and good story to learn where they ended。 I was torn about giving this book 3 stars。 The end was just redeeming enough for 4 stars。 I didn't like that none of the stories tied to one another so it ended up being a bunch off horrible stories about rough childhoods with a few good stories sprinkled in。 It would have been nice to hear writer 1's bad story and good story to learn where they ended。 。。。more
Jessica
，
I'm not going to read other reviews before my own。。。but。。。how can you give less than 5 stars to a diary of children that have poured out their life and shown their progress？ I watched the movie a long while ago and decided to actually read the words chosen to be shared and was humbled and inspired， as hopefully anyone else would be reading this。 I am very excited to read the new Freedom Writers book discussing their adult lives coming out Feb 2022。 I'm not going to read other reviews before my own。。。but。。。how can you give less than 5 stars to a diary of children that have poured out their life and shown their progress？ I watched the movie a long while ago and decided to actually read the words chosen to be shared and was humbled and inspired， as hopefully anyone else would be reading this。 I am very excited to read the new Freedom Writers book discussing their adult lives coming out Feb 2022。 。。。more
Lachlan Ferguson
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Truly inspiring。 I dream of being this teacher a d hope to affect my students in the same way for their entire lives。
Jaclyn Morgan
，
TW: Sexual assault， child abuse， murder， addictionMy love of the Freedom Writers and their mission started in junior high when we were shown their film and begged to see it at least once a year from then on。 Reading the diary entries of these 150 amazing students and their incredible teacher， Erin Grunwell， is truly a life-changing experience。 Although the book doesn’t fall under my usual preference for writing styles， the raw emotions and truth which lie behind each carefully crafted entry make TW: Sexual assault， child abuse， murder， addictionMy love of the Freedom Writers and their mission started in junior high when we were shown their film and begged to see it at least once a year from then on。 Reading the diary entries of these 150 amazing students and their incredible teacher， Erin Grunwell， is truly a life-changing experience。 Although the book doesn’t fall under my usual preference for writing styles， the raw emotions and truth which lie behind each carefully crafted entry makes them feel like an intimate confidence in a dear friend。 The resilience of the Freedom Writers and the ingenuity of Ms。 G is endlessly inspiring on its own but it is their continued work to spread their message of tolerance on the international stage that stayed with me the most。 I highly recommend this book and in particular， the 20th anniversary edition of its publication as it features 10 and 20 year updates from the Freedom Writers which remind the reader that they are still growing， changing， and working together to make a better world for future generations。 。。。more
Lieke
，
De verfilming van dit boek， 'Freedom Writers'， is één van mijn favoriete films。 Vanwege dat， maar ook door de emotionele verhalen， had ik het boek graag meer dan drie sterren gegeven。 Ik had er graag nog meer van genoten。 Ik kan lastig bepalen waarom dat niet lukte。 De dagboekfragmenten komen af en toe flink binnen en het is inspirerend om te lezen hoe de leerlingen meer vertrouwen krijgen in elkaar， in de wereld en， nog belangrijker， in zichzelf。 De verfilming van dit boek， 'Freedom Writers'， is één van mijn favoriete films。 Vanwege dat， maar ook door de emotionele verhalen， had ik het boek graag meer dan drie sterren gegeven。 Ik had er graag nog meer van genoten。 Ik kan lastig bepalen waarom dat niet lukte。 De dagboekfragmenten komen af en toe flink binnen en het is inspirerend om te lezen hoe de leerlingen meer vertrouwen krijgen in elkaar， in de wereld en， nog belangrijker， in zichzelf。 。。。more
Célia Marteleira
，
Depois de anos a mostrar e a discutir o filme nas aulas， finalmente li o livro。 Uma leitura imperdível。
Cherie Palmer
，
An amazing teacher who gives a group of students， described as unteachable， the gift of hope and the means to go about achieving their dreams。
Juliette
，
I don’t like books about school， and I don’t like books about books。 I’m glad I took a chance with this book。 （And I wish I’d had a teacher who believed in me like Ms Gruwell believed in her students。）
Seb Sebastian
，
Very raw， honest and heart breaking。 But also incredibly inspiring and uplifting。 A must read for all， not just educators or students because the themes are so universal and humanity needs to learn to be better from people who have been in the trenches and come out the other side heros。
Yani Daniele
，
El diario de los escritores de la libertad había visto la película muchas veces pero no presté atención a que estaba basado en un libro， cuando me enteré quise leerlo y aquí estoy。Lo terminé hace tiempo pero como suele pasar， la pachorra me gana a la hora de escribir la reseña。En este libro tenemos pequeños fragmentos de los diarios que los chicos escriben para el proyecto de clases， las historias que cada uno cuenta son mucho más duras que lo que se muestra en la película。 Te produce triste e i El diario de los escritores de la libertad había visto la película muchas veces pero no presté atención a que estaba basado en un libro， cuando me enteré quise leerlo y aquí estoy。Lo terminé hace tiempo pero como suele pasar， la pachorra me gana a la hora de escribir la reseña。En este libro tenemos pequeños fragmentos de los diarios que los chicos escriben para el proyecto de clases， las historias que cada uno cuenta son mucho más duras que lo que se muestra en la película。 Te produce triste e impotencia ver muchas veces como esos chicos creen que no tiene otra opción que vivir la misma vida que sus padres， tener el mismo destino que incluso puede ser una muerte temprana a mano de las pandillas。 El temor de caminar por la calle y no saber si van a llegar a destino es terrible， el reflejo de lo más duro de la sociedad， la intolerancia， el racismo， todas aquellas cosas que dividen al hombre y hacen que se odien unos a otros。Un libro duro pero realista， que nos da una mirada más profunda a lo que se vive en Norteamérica， y que la tierra de la libertad y los sueños， no es tan pintoresca como parece。 。。。more
Lindsay Bolender
，
An amazing reminder of the power of the classroom （And the heart of a teacher）。 Each of the Freedom Writers’ stories represent so much more than an individual student， and they are all still very relevant and important today。 As our schools and districts debate Critical Race Theory， this is an important example to turn to， to understand the importance of evaluating history with a critical lens。 We still have a lot of work to do to make equal opportunity in education a reality for students like t An amazing reminder of the power of the classroom （And the heart of a teacher）。 Each of the Freedom Writers’ stories represent so much more than an individual student， and they are all still very relevant and important today。 As our schools and districts debate Critical Race Theory， this is an important example to turn to， to understand the importance of evaluating history with a critical lens。 We still have a lot of work to do to make equal opportunity in education a reality for students like the Freedom Writers。 。。。more
Austin
，
I didn't know much going into this book， but it was totally different than what I had expected。 The book was really eye opening to me in a way that was unique。 I have read other books that tried to tell the same type of inspiring story but I felt like this book was the most strait forward without softening anything u[， which got the message across even better。 I didn't know much going into this book， but it was totally different than what I had expected。 The book was really eye opening to me in a way that was unique。 I have read other books that tried to tell the same type of inspiring story but I felt like this book was the most strait forward without softening anything u[， which got the message across even better。 。。。more
Kimberlee
，
This is the inspirational story of teacher Erin Gruwell and her 150 students， the Freedom Writers。 My mother watched the movie， and， after hearing the description， I got the book to read it， and it wowed me。 I was so inspired by the risks Ms。 Gruwell took as well as the stories of her students。 The student with cystic fibrosis especially inspired me。 I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book。 I loved the students encouragement for the reader to take up their baton and become the This is the inspirational story of teacher Erin Gruwell and her 150 students， the Freedom Writers。 My mother watched the movie， and， after hearing the description， I got the book to read it， and it wowed me。 I was so inspired by the risks Ms。 Gruwell took as well as the stories of her students。 The student with cystic fibrosis especially inspired me。 I am so glad that I had the opportunity to read this book。 I loved the students encouragement for the reader to take up their baton and become the fourth wave。 Although the book describes the graduates of Wilson High School， Long Beach CA， 1998， the themes of racism and tolerance that are described in its pages still plague America today， making the stories still relevant。 The epilogue includes this quote from Anne Frank: "。。。we have the opportunity to get an education and make something of ourselves。 We have many reasons to hope for great happiness， but we have to earn it。 And that is something you can't achieve by taking the easy ways out。 Earning happiness means doing good and working， not spending and being lazy。" She wrote this on July 6， 1944。 Today is July 6。 。。。more
MilesTeller Shirtless
，
I'm not sure if its as white saviory as I thought it was going to be， but it is kind of boring and poverty/tragedy porn？？？ I'm not sure if its as white saviory as I thought it was going to be， but it is kind of boring and poverty/tragedy porn？？？ 。。。more
Inês Caetano
，
O livro aborda a história real de uma professora que vai lecionar numa escola em Long Beach onde a violência relacionada com os gangues condiciona a vida dos seus estudantes。 A sua turma é composta pelos outcast， ou seja， todos os alunos problemáticos que o sistema de educação deixa escapar sem fazer qualquer esforço para perceber o seu contexto e os seus problemas 。 Contudo， esta professora vê estes alunos como adolescentes que apenas precisam de alguém que os direcione para a luz， para uma vid O livro aborda a história real de uma professora que vai lecionar numa escola em Long Beach onde a violência relacionada com os gangues condiciona a vida dos seus estudantes。 A sua turma é composta pelos outcast， ou seja， todos os alunos problemáticos que o sistema de educação deixa escapar sem fazer qualquer esforço para perceber o seu contexto e os seus problemas 。 Contudo， esta professora vê estes alunos como adolescentes que apenas precisam de alguém que os direcione para a luz， para uma vida que não acabe com eles mortos num beco ou na prisão como aconteceu com vários dos seus amigos e familiares。Este livro é a junção dos diários dos alunos que abordam várias questões， desde o uso de drogas， gravidez na adolescência até ao suicido e violação。 Um professor precisa de compreender os seus alunos e perceber o porquê das suas dificuldades ajudando-os a superá-las。Esta professora， conseguiu chegar a estes alunos ao apresentar-lhes histórias de pessoas que como eles ultrapassaram muitas dificuldades， um dos livros que mais os marcou foi o Diário de Anne Frank。 Erin conseguiu tornar uma turma disfuncional numa família unida para um futuro melhor， criando várias iniciativas de promoção da tolerância， tal como projetos de apoio escolar。The Freedom Writers é um livro muito inspirador， recomendo se gostam da temática。 No meu caso li em inglês mas a escrita é bastante acessível。 O livro está dividido pelos vários anos escolares e dentro desses capítulos podemos ler as entradas de vários alunos sobre temáticas variadas， cada testemunho tem cerca de uma página。 。。。more
Kathryn
，
Fantastic addition to my classroom book club。 I read this when it first came out years ago and have been waiting for the perfect chance to read it again with my class。 Very inspiring and looking forward to adding to my reading and writing curriculum。
Madison
，
This is such an important memorialization of such a huge， but not commonly known， time in our history。 This story is hugely inspiring。 And the words in this book will never be out of context in the world we live in—and I believe wholeheartedly it should be required reading for both students and educators。 Erin Gruwell is one of my heroes。
Al Strasil
，