True Notebooks

See Larger Image	Written By: Mark Salzman Average Customer Rating:


Binding: Hardcover Format: Bargain Price Number Of Pages: 352 Publication Date: 2003-09-16
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Editorial Reviews: When Mark Salzman is invited to visit a writing class at Central Juvenile Hall, a lockup for Los Angeles’s most violent teenage offenders, he scrambles for a polite reason to decline. He goes—expecting the worst—and is so astonished by what he finds that he becomes a teacher there himself. True Notebooks is an account of Salzman’s first years teaching at Central. Through it, we come to know his students as he did: in their own words. At times impossible and at times irresistible, they write with devastating clarity about their pasts, their fears, their confusions, their regrets, and their hopes. They write about what led them to crime and to gangs, about love for their mothers and anger toward their (mostly absent) fathers, about guilt for the pain they have caused, and about what it is like to be facing life in prison at the age of seventeen. Most of all, they write about trying to find some reason to believe in themselves—and others—in spite of all that has gone wrong. Surprising, charming, upsetting, enlightening, and ultimately hopeful—driven by the insight and humor of Salzman’s voice and by the intelligence, candor, and strength of his students, whose writing appears throughout the book—True Notebooks is itself a reward of the self-expression Mark Salzman teaches: a revelatory meditation on the process, power, and meaning of writing.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: A Lesson for Teachers Comment: Mark Salzman molds this book in a way that allows many of his experiences at juvenile hall lead the way. But, he does this with his own author's eye. While the book is chronological, Salzman chooses which moments to portray that will give readers the larger picture of what he and other members of the facility were attempting to do. He does not shy away from his own mistakes, but he revels in his successes as well. For teachers in alternative environments, and even teachers who are simply looking for new inspiration, this book gives insight to many pedagogical options and pitfalls. Salzman asks questions about the purpose of teaching that all teachers should be asking themselves, regardless of where they are teaching their students. This book is a worthwhile read for writers and teachers alike. Customer Rating: Summary: Incredibly worthwhile! Comment: I was assigned to read this book for my Honors English 10 class, and I must admitt, I was not too thrilled with this being chosen for me. This is nowhere near my type of book. I like to read suspense and thrillers with the occasional teen books (you have to admitt they're hilarious), so I thought this would either be a waste of time or a major let-down. To my surprise, I loved it! I figured it had to have somewhat substantial writings done by these kids in juvie, but I never expected them to make such a profound impact on the way I envisioned freedom and justice. The works that Salzman included that were written by the HROs (high-risk offenders) astonished me. This book teaches a vital lesson to society and life in general with the only downfall I saw as beimg the kids don't always get that happy ending that you're hoping for, but hey, neither does life all the time... Customer Rating: Summary: Excellent Comment: Very easy read, very informative on what its like for these juveniles who are caught up in our legal system. My words for review cannot describe how good of an account this is. Customer Rating: Summary: Another Keeper Comment: Better him than me. I just finished reading this for my third time, which is my typical reaction to a Mark Salzman title. Look up everything he's ever written, read them all, enjoy the movie based on one of his books, and thank me. You just can't go wrong with this guy. Looking at this book in particular, I devoured it like it was new to my bookshelf. I just couldn't stop myself. I had some work I was supposed to be doing and I just rescheduled. Yeah, it's good to be the boss. Even better to have such a great book to read. It's still a keeper. Customer Rating: Summary: I taught these kids for years... Comment: I taught English to boys in Central Juvenile Hall in LA every day for years. This book refers to conducting a writer's workshop. This book is an interesting slice of life of a selective audience, not a view reflecting the broader population. About 75-80% of the kids are not able to function above the 4th or 5th grade level. Many are not literate in any language. There are a few who are very articulate. These kids come from all walks of life. If the purpose was to really communicate the writing of kids who are in juvenile hall, I think this book missed it. If the attempt was to share some writing of a few incarcerated kids who messed up, it is fine. Of course, everyone wants to work with the responsive one. The saddest were the ones who had done so much glue that they couldn't even remember their birthdays... More Reviews