cover image Thank You, Teacher: Grateful Students Tell the Stories of the Teachers Who Changed Their Lives

Thank You, Teacher: Grateful Students Tell the Stories of the Teachers Who Changed Their Lives

Edited by Holly and Bruce Holbert. New World Library, $21.95 (304p) ISBN 978-1-60868-418-2

Holly Holbert, after admiring the dedication of her husband, Bruce, to his work as a high school teacher in Spokane, Wash., decided to solicit letters from famous people recognizing their favorite teachers. The response was extraordinary: more than 150 people%E2%80%94each remarkably successful%E2%80%94wrote back with anecdotes and essays in praise of that one teacher whose attention, encouragement, character, or peculiarities helped shape them. The names of the contributors will likely stir most of the interest in this book. They include such luminaries as John Glenn, Maya Angelou, Rosanne Cash, Beau Bridges, Sherry Lansing, and Ken Burns. This is not a book one reads straight through, but a book to dip in and out of, and an occasion to recall from the reader's own special teachers who made all the difference. (May)