“In all of the literature addressing education, race, poverty, and criminal justice, there has been nothing quite like Reading with Patrick.”—The AtlanticA memoir of the life-changing friendship between an idealistic young teacher and her gifted student, jailed for murder in the Mississippi DeltaFINALIST FOR THE DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE Recently graduated from Harvard University, Michelle Kuo … PRIZE
Recently graduated from Harvard University, Michelle Kuo arrived in the rural town of Helena, Arkansas, as a Teach for America volunteer, bursting with optimism and drive. But she soon encountered the jarring realities of life in one of the poorest counties in America, still disabled by the legacy of slavery and Jim Crow. In this stirring memoir, Kuo, the child of Taiwanese immigrants, shares the story of her complicated but rewarding mentorship of one student, Patrick Browning, and his remarkable literary and personal awakening.
Convinced she can make a difference in the lives of her teenaged students, Michelle Kuo puts her heart into her work, using quiet reading time and guided writing to foster a sense of self in students left behind by a broken school system. Though Michelle loses some students to truancy and even gun violence, she is inspired by some such as Patrick. Fifteen and in the eighth grade, Patrick begins to thrive under Michelle’s exacting attention. However, after two years of teaching, Michelle feels pressure from her parents and the draw of opportunities outside the Delta and leaves Arkansas to attend law school.
Then, on the eve of her law-school graduation, Michelle learns that Patrick has been jailed for murder. Feeling that she left the Delta prematurely and determined to fix her mistake, Michelle returns to Helena and resumes Patrick’s education—even as he sits in a jail cell awaiting trial. Every day for the next seven months they pore over classic novels, poems, and works of history. Little by little, Patrick grows into a confident, expressive writer and a dedicated reader galvanized by the works of Frederick Douglass, James Baldwin, Walt Whitman, W. S. Merwin, and others. In her time reading with Patrick, Michelle is herself transformed, contending with the legacy of racism and the questions of what constitutes a “good” life and what the privileged owe to those with bleaker prospects.
“A powerful meditation on how one person can affect the life of another . . . One of the great strengths of Reading with Patrick is its portrayal of the risk inherent to teaching.”—The Seattle Times
“[A] tender memoir.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
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Enlightening
I hated this book. The author is on a huge ego trip. I often wondered if she was going to nominate herself for Teacher of the Year.
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I really appreciated the author’s truthful reflections about her motives, awareness of her priviledge, judgements and expectations. I liked it so much I bought it for a friend. Having taught in prisons, I thought she portrayed the situation and heart-ache with realism and poignancy.
This book is a real eye opener to the skewed distribution of resources in our country and the oppression that still exists in the Delta.
An eye opener and a wake up call to readers who are not exposed to some of the challenges faced by not only persons of another race but also socioeconomic group. While not a book that I would describe as a page turner, it is still worth reading and digesting. Michelle’s dedication is admirable and inspiring; she wants readers to understand what most prefer to ignore. And Patrick’s ability to rise above the many unfair challenges he was dealt is amazing. Maybe this very personal and intense story will stir Americans to look around and take the initiative to evoke changes so that this country’s bounty is equally accessible to everyone, beginning with education, opportunity and a fair judicial system.
Book is about a young Asian woman who is unsettled after completing college, so instead of law school which she had planned to do, she teaches English in a poverty ridden southern small town with primarily black students who are not up to grade level in almost all subjects.She particularly bonds with a young 6th grade boy student who in a few years is charged with killing another black boy. While he did kill him, the circumstances could have been considered self-defense.She follows the long process of seeing him convicted, working with him and working with him while he is in prison.This is a true story that will keep you reading to see what happens to both the teacher and the student.The teacher eventually goes to law school and now teaches legal classes in Europe.
It was just too depressing for nighttime reading.
Michelle Kuo is a Chinese-American who grew up in West Michigan. I’ve lived in West Michigan. I lived in an entire county with only a handful of African Americans. I don’t think there was one Asian person out of the 40,000. So it is understandable that Kuo grew up feeling alienated, identifying with the African American experience.
I admire how Kuo struggled with her immigrant parent’s dreams for her and her personal desire to dedicate her talent to human rights. And I appreciated her honesty in admitting her failures and steep learning curve about the limits of what she could accomplish. It recalled to mind the idealism my husband and I once held and the pain and disappointment when faced with reality.
Reading with Patrick is her story of two years teaching English in one of the poorest counties in America, working in a school for troubled students. Success was not immediate, but she persisted. Her kids realized she was a teacher who cared.
She leaves under pressure to continue her education, planning a career in law. Several years later one of her best students is in jail for manslaughter. Kuo puts her personal life on hold to be with Patrick. They start back at square one. He has to physically relearn how to write legibly and read with understanding. Over seven months he becomes a gifted creative writer.
The story of how she discovers how to awaken his mind and set his spirit free is heartwarming and also devastating. I thought of the old television commercials for supporting black colleges: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. But of course, these children born in poverty, with little opportunity, do lead wasted lives. Kuo discovers many of her students have also ended up in jail or pregnant and it makes her reconsider her own estimation of her legacy.
Patrick accepts a plea bargain and serves his time. And then discovers all the doors are closed to him. As Kuo points out, the justice system has moved from trials to settlements, but the jail sentences permanently impair futures. The justice system and public education, and the legacy of racism behind them are addressed with thoughtful insight.
It is Kuo’s self-revelatory journey that sets this book apart. And I loved reading how students, and in particular Patrick, responded to literature and poetry.
I won this book on a giveaway. Thank you to LibraryThings and the publisher.
a premise with so much potential, but there were so many unanswered questions. Like, why???
The author teaches in the Arkansas delta where the situation for everyone is very hopeless because of poverty and neglect. She really tries to make a difference in a situation where anyone else would give up.
As a teacher, this was a good read to show how one can influence learning.
Such a bittersweet story of teacher and student and the limitations of that teacher’s dreams for that student. Having been a teacher, I identify.
I struggled to get through this book. At times the characters were boring.
Interesting characters. Thought provoking. Scary because it is true.
As a former teacher, I wanted to read how the author used reading to influence a young man that was incarcerated. I found it interesting, moving and inspirational,
I can’t put it down. Very inspirational and beautiful that a person would give herself completely to helping a person stuck in the system with little to no hope! One of the best books I’ve read recently.