Dear Freedom Writer: Stories of Hardship and Hope from the Next Generation

In this moving follow-up to 1999’s The Freedom Writers Diary, educator Gruwell takes a vivid look at the issues facing teenagers today. In 1994, Gruwell drew on the example of Anne Frank’s Holocaust diary to encourage her high school students in Long Beach, Calif., to start recording their thoughts and feelings. The success of the initial project led to the creation of the Freedom Writers Foundation (named for the Freedom Riders of the civil rights era), which provides teachers with “innovative, student-centered, project-driven lesson plans and an engaging social-emotional curriculum.” In the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic, the foundation set up an online classroom where students could “bare their souls... so that others could bear witness to their plight and help them heal.” The collection contains letters from 50 students writing from the Gaza Strip, New Zealand, Rwanda, the U.S., and elsewhere about dealing with Asperger’s syndrome, internalized homophobia, racism, a best friend’s suicide, and other thorny subjects. Each letter is accompanied by a compassionate reply from a teacher or one of the original Freedom Writers who has dealt with a similar issue. Shot through with stories of violence, loss, and redemption, this is a raw and emotional snapshot of growing up during a global pandemic. (Mar.)