Reading With Patrick
A Teacher, a Student and the Life-Changing Power of Books
Published on 13. July 2017
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-1-4472-8607-3 (ISBN)
Description
As a young English teacher keen to make a difference in the world, Michelle Kuo took a job at a tough school in the Mississippi Delta, sharing books and poetry with a young African-American teenager named Patrick and his classmates. For the first time, these kids began to engage with ideas and dreams beyond their small town, and to gain an insight into themselves that they had never had before.
Two years later, Michelle left to go to law school; but Patrick began to lose his way, ending up jailed for murder. And that's when Michelle decided that her work was not done, and began to visit Patrick once a week, and soon every day, to read with him again.
Reading with Patrick is an inspirational story of friendship, a coming-of-age story for both a young teacher and a student, an expansive, deeply resonant meditation on education, race and justice, and a love letter to literature and its power to transcend social barriers.
Two years later, Michelle left to go to law school; but Patrick began to lose his way, ending up jailed for murder. And that's when Michelle decided that her work was not done, and began to visit Patrick once a week, and soon every day, to read with him again.
Reading with Patrick is an inspirational story of friendship, a coming-of-age story for both a young teacher and a student, an expansive, deeply resonant meditation on education, race and justice, and a love letter to literature and its power to transcend social barriers.
Reviews / Votes
Reading with Patrick [is] Michelle Kuo's rich memoir of her literary friendship with a student in a small town in the Mississippi Delta * TLS * Remarkable . . . Honest, generous, humble and wise, Reading with Patrick will endure as a defining story for our times, and, abidingly, a testament to the power of language and of books. -- Claire Messud, author of <i>The Emperor's Children </i>and <i>The Woman Upstairs</i> 'Honest, thoughtful, and humane, Kuo's book is not only a testament to a remarkable friendship, but a must-read for anyone interested in social justice and race in America. Thoughtfully provocative reading.' * Kirkus Reviews * This book is special and could not be more right on time. An absorbing, tender, and surprisingly honest examination of race and privilege. -- Wes Moore, author of <i>The Other Wes Moore</i> Riveting . . . An empathetic story of connection: between a dedicated teacher and her student, between history and our current times, and between literature and life. It is hard to imagine a more inspiring testament to the transformative power of reading. -- Elliot Holt, author of <i>You Are One of Them</i> A gorgeous, urgent and heartbreaking memoir. -- Darcy Frey, author of <i>The Last Shot</i> I delighted in this book and read it in a single weekend. Reading with Patrick is a significant work that could swell the ranks of highly motivated and qualified teachers-people who understand they are not just transferring information but transforming lives -- Bill Moyers [A] tender memoir. * O, the Oprah Magazine *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pan Macmillan
Target group
Interest Age: From 18 years
Dimensions
Height: 223 mm
Width: 142 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
451 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4472-8607-3 (9781447286073)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
07/2017
Picador
€25.49
Available for download
Person
Michelle Kuo taught English at an alternative school in the Arkansas Delta for two years. After teaching, she attended Harvard Law School as a Paul and Daisy Soros Fellow, and worked at a nonprofit for undocumented immigrants in Oakland, California, on a Skadden Fellowship, with a focus on tenants' and workers' rights. Currently she teaches courses on race, law, and society at the American University of Paris. Her first novel, Reading with Patrick, is her personal story of teaching a student who lost his way.
Content
Introduction - i: Introduction Unit - 1: Part I Chapter - 1: A Raisin in the Sun Chapter - 2: The Free Write Chapter - 3: The Fire Next Time Unit - 2: Part II Chapter - 4: The Death of Ivan Ilyich Unit - 3: Part III Chapter - 5: Crime and Punishment Chapter - 6: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Chapter - 7: He Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven Chapter - 8: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Chapter - 9: I Have Read Everything on This Paper (The Guilty Plea) Chapter - 10: To Paula in Late Spring Unit - 4: Part IV Chapter - 11: Easter Morning Section - ii: Author's Note Acknowledgements - iii: Acknowledgments