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"For anyone who cares about how we educate America’s young people, Holler If You Hear Me is required reading."
–Edward James Olmos, actor/activist
"It is a great and marvelous thing to be reminded that to change the world we need only to change ourselves. Greg Michie and his students give me that hope."
–Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street
"In Holler If You Hear Me, Greg Michie helps us see solutions. This is the book for all teachers who believe in their students and in themselves."
–Gloria Ladson-Billings, author of
The Dreamkeepers: Successful Teachers of African-American Children
"Kids’ voices almost never get heard, and never this respectfully or at such length. These voices are real and touching and surprising and honest and fascinating. Greg Michie has done something wonderful by seeking them out and giving them space."
–Penny Lundquist, Golden Apple Foundation for Excellence in Teaching
"Gregory Michie is a teacher of great courage and insight.... This memoir serves as a model of how to engage students and their creativity, as well as a critique of the growing dismissal of those whom society finds ‘troublesome.’ Michie has much to teach–to his students as well as to the rest of us."
–Luis J. Rodriguez, author of Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A.
Weaving back and forth between Gregory Michie’s awakening as a teacher and the first-person stories of his students, Holler If You Hear Me creates an intimate and compassionate portrayal of what it means to be a teacher and a student in urban America. Michie’s account of learning to teach in a big and often unwieldy public school system deals honestly with the critical moral issues all teachers must face. While not shying away from hard truths, he lends a measure of hope, humor, and practical insight about the difficult work of teaching for social justice. In addition, Michie brings us the stories of his students both in his words and theirs, giving voice to Latino and African-American youth who often go unheard. The resulting tales of struggle and triumph, while clearly indispensable to educators, will be inspiring reading for most anyone.
