Death at an Early Age: The Destruction of the Hearts and Minds of Negro Children in the Boston Public Schools, by Jonathan Kozol (PB, 1985, reading copy only, $0.50)
"In 1964, Jonathan Kozol entered the Boston Public School System to teach fourth grade at one of its most overcrowded inner-city schools- a place where 'the books are junk, the paint peels, the teachers call you nigger, and the windows fall in on your heads.' This book is his own unsparing, heartwrenching account of the year he spent there- the most shocking and powerful personal story ever told by a young teacher, now updated with a new epilogue by the author."
I was 12 when this book came out, and going to a church summer camp. I remember that week vividly, the deer we saw at night, the homesickness, and Death at an Early Age. Death was one of the books we had to read while we were there, and I have never forgotten it. For the first time I became aware of the larger world, and of pain and injustice that existed there. (I still have my copy.)
Check out this book in the education section, avail. 12/7.
