Born to Rise: A Story of Children and Teachers Reaching Their Highest Potential

One woman’s tragedy turns into triumph for hundreds of Harlem schoolchildren in Kenny’s personal and professional memoir of founding the Harlem Village Academies, a successful group of charter schools that serve some of New York City’s neediest students. After losing her husband, an exemplary man she considered to be “born to a higher purpose,” to leukemia, Kenny sought—and found—her own purpose by creating a set of phenomenal inner-city schools where teachers could be treated like true professionals, banking on her belief that “a focus on talent is the one thing that will fix public education in America.” Inspired by educators and reformers such as Jonathan Kozol and Geoffrey Canada, Kenny wanted to create schools that would give all students access to the sorts of educational privileges she and her own children had known. Though the pace slows as Kenny flounders to discern her vision and spends long months working on planning and funding for the schools, the anecdotes of successful teachers (Kenny’s “rock stars”) at work and students whose lives were truly turned around by her work prove persuasive and uplifting. Agent: Robert Barnett, Williams & Connolly. (June)