Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
7th out of 64 books
—
1 voter
And Still We Rise:: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City Students
by
Miles Corwin
Bestselling author of The Killing Season and veteran Los Angeles Times reporter Miles Corwin spent a school year with twelve high school seniors -- South-Central kids who qualified for a gifted program because of their exceptional IQs and test scores. Sitting alongside them in classrooms where bullets were known to rip through windows, Corwin chronicled their amazing odyss...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
March 20th 2001
by Harper Perennial
(first published April 26th 2000)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
754)
My rating of the book And Still We Rise by Miles Corwin is three and a half stars out of five.
This book discusses the struggles of 12 gifted inner-city students at Crenshaw in South-Central La, California. The book is written by a reporter as he follows the students through their senior year of high-school. It discusses the problems they face such as poor communities and racism.
A great strength of this book is that it gets down to the students level. You follow the lives of 12 gifted students fo...more
This book discusses the struggles of 12 gifted inner-city students at Crenshaw in South-Central La, California. The book is written by a reporter as he follows the students through their senior year of high-school. It discusses the problems they face such as poor communities and racism.
A great strength of this book is that it gets down to the students level. You follow the lives of 12 gifted students fo...more
Apr 14, 2012
Christian
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone, educational studies major
Recommended to Christian by:
Professor Luz Maria Chung
This book is the epitome of the contrasting and ever widening issue concerning education and equality. Corwin explores the divide between a inner-city high school and their journey to get out of the "ghetto" and gang infested neighborhoods that inhabit the surrounding area of the high school.
Corwin also elegantly weaves between the lives of 12 high school students, showcasing their strengths, their goals, and their ambition to get a better start. This book takes place in the last year of affirm...more
Corwin also elegantly weaves between the lives of 12 high school students, showcasing their strengths, their goals, and their ambition to get a better start. This book takes place in the last year of affirm...more
Journalist follows the class of 1997 at Crenshaw High's Gifted Magnet program. NOT the story of a teacher coming in and saving these students, but told from the perspective of the students. The family situations, work commitments, abuse history, gang and violence experiences, etc. that these kids deal with on a daily basis - all while taking AP high school classes touched my heart and boggled my mind at the same time.
I picked this up because Crenshaw High is close to where I live - it's an easy...more
I picked this up because Crenshaw High is close to where I live - it's an easy...more
This book chronicles a year in the lives of some students and a couple teachers in a gifted program at a high school a few blocks away from where I work. Most of these lives are rough and scary, and yet full of hope and potential. If nothing else, this book reminded me to treat others with compassion and kindness. I think it also added a few more details to my understanding of my neighborhood and my neighbors here. And it's a story that asks for a response--my husband and I are thinking on that....more
The author researched this book by sitting in on classes at a gifted magnet school in south-central LA during the 1996/97 academic year, interviewing teachers, administrators, and twelve students and their families. An unanticipated element was that Proposition 209 (eliminating affirmative action in California) was voted in during the year, so the senior AP English class he followed was the last to be considered for college admittance under affirmative action. Some amazing stories of kids who ma...more
The 2nd non-fiction book I found that connects to education and it was a good one! The story is from the perspective of a reporter who wanted to document gifted but troubled African-American students who attend Crenshaw High School in Los Angeles in 1996-1997. I found the stories of the students to be woven very well throughout the narrative and I also appreciated that he did not dwell on a teacher "saving" the black children but rather these students saving themselves. Also, since this was from...more
This book is a documentary in words of 12 seniors at a predominantly-black gifted magnet school-in-a-school in inner-city LA. Through pictures of their lives inside and outside school, stories from class, and discussions with their principal, you see the struggles these kids have to live their dreams and their possibilities. The author is a proponent of affirmative action, and the main purpose of the book is to show how these talented students need affirmative action due to the completely uneven...more
I liked this book for two reasons. It was so interesting to read about the plight of gifted, highly intelligent kids living in Los Angeles and overcoming the odds. The daily horror they learn to live with is unfathomable to me. I also enjoyed reading about the teachers that teach them. One in particular reminds me so much of a few, very few, other teachers I have encountered. It was interesting to see that personality type in another place. I don't enjoy working with that type of person but know...more
Subtitled, “The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City High School Students.” The author spent a year in one of the few LA high schools in low-income neighborhoods that has an honors program. He follows the students’ progress and details their lives, including all the violence and problems these kids have experienced. Still, they are truly gifted, and overcome these problems to do some amazing work, and many go on to college. Corwin is a journalist who has also written a book on the LA...more
Apr 23, 2013
Kelsey Mccluskey
added it
This book was assigned in my Education class to learn about classroom management and student struggles. I am usually a little leery about reading novels for class because I love to read and the books we usually are assigned are not that great.
This book was different! from the first page I was hooked and connected to the students. Knowing that these were real people that went through the situations that are described in these pages was very powerful. I loved the writing style, the view of each...more
This book was different! from the first page I was hooked and connected to the students. Knowing that these were real people that went through the situations that are described in these pages was very powerful. I loved the writing style, the view of each...more
The true stories of these children and teachers in south-central Los Angeles are tragic and captivating. I especially got caught up in the story of the AP English teacher. That was definitely the most interesting one to me. The writing style was odd to me. It seemed to meander without point at times. It also seemed that the author got so caught up in the lives of these people that he would lose his objectivity at times (he even admits it). It made the story more real, but it also made it directi...more
I had to read this for one of my college courses, and instead of having to force myself to read it, like my usual text, I found myself reading ahead and finishing it eons before I had to. Corwin tells an intriguing web of stories between these twelve intercity kids who are so gifted but aren't given a second glance from the rest of the world, and their incredible teachers, and counselors who support them every step of the way. It really gave me a sense of motivation, reading this book, to make s...more
This was a good book and I read it with an open mind, but it made me mad in two ways. It's about affirmative action and details systematic poverty. The author is a reporter that wanted to show why affirmative action is necessary at a time when it was ending. To do so, he chronicled the lives of some black high school students and their leap into the world of college. I'm not sure that this was the best way for him to pose his argument and it was a little hard to keep track of the students, but t...more
Many books and movies about education are meant to be warm fuzzy feel good stories. And Still We Rise is not one of those stories. Corwin doesn't sugar coat anything. He is realistic. Some of these students don't make it. The teachers are not saviors. I actually really disliked the main teacher. Granted, she's teaching in a harsh environment, but she lets her own issues with the administration and parents bleed out into her classroom at the expense of her teaching. The book covers the course of...more
Tale of gifted students at an inner-city school in South-Central LA. The book revolves around an AP Literature class taught by Toni Little and the 11th grade class of Mama Moultrie.
I had to read it for a Professional Development course. It was funny, we had several books to choose from. I was one of the last to choose and so, of course, the books left was the thickest book - over twice the size of the other books. I'm really grateful that "And Still We Rise" is the one I was left with.
I started...more
I had to read it for a Professional Development course. It was funny, we had several books to choose from. I was one of the last to choose and so, of course, the books left was the thickest book - over twice the size of the other books. I'm really grateful that "And Still We Rise" is the one I was left with.
I started...more
This non-fiction book opened my eyes to a whole world I am unfamiliar with - inner-city South-Central Las Angeles California with minorities (mainly black).
It was amazing! The author spent a year (1997)observing/interviewing the gifted seniors of Crenshaw High School, in South-Central LA. He highlighted 12 students in particular who had incredible stories with trials and triumps. The story is true and written so well that I was just in awe of the lives they live (and many still do). It made me...more
It was amazing! The author spent a year (1997)observing/interviewing the gifted seniors of Crenshaw High School, in South-Central LA. He highlighted 12 students in particular who had incredible stories with trials and triumps. The story is true and written so well that I was just in awe of the lives they live (and many still do). It made me...more
Wow. What a realistic view of inner-city kids and their strive to actually make something of themselves and get out of the unfortunate circumstances life has given them.
Kudos to Corwin for getting viewpoints from the students, their teachers, their administrators, etc.
And I absolutely loved how nothing about these kids or their teachers was sugar coated. The kids aren't perfect--and even the ones who 'are' have some setbacks. Their 2 biggest teachers are also huge rivals and they aren't doing th...more
Kudos to Corwin for getting viewpoints from the students, their teachers, their administrators, etc.
And I absolutely loved how nothing about these kids or their teachers was sugar coated. The kids aren't perfect--and even the ones who 'are' have some setbacks. Their 2 biggest teachers are also huge rivals and they aren't doing th...more
This book follows a class of senior AP students in South-Central High School in inner city Los Angelos. Many have heart-wrenching stories and manage to overcome the odds. Miles Corwin is a news reporter who sits in on their class for the entire school year. It's very interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look into their lives and the classroom. While the book could use some major editing (so repetitive!) it was worthwhile and interesting read.
A true story of an inner city school and then "gifted" children they teach. I had to read this book for a class. There were many parts I enjoyed, but it seems like on of the teachers is Bi-polar and completely out of line in the way she handles many of the situations she faces. Because of her ill treatment, I had a hard time enjoying the book. But the students lives are interesting and I was touched by their ability to survive in all circumstances.
The author of this book spent one school year with an AP English class of seniors in an inner city school in Los Angeles. This was in 1997, the last class to be admitted to college under Affirmative Action. He also spent some time with the AP Juniors because they were the first group to have to face college without Affirmative Action. Regardless of how you feel about Affirmative Action, this book will make you rethink the policy. This author was able to describe the home lives of the students in...more
While the author's style was a little redundant at times, the subject matter and characters in this book were fresh and uncensored. Seeing the senior year of high school in a gang and drug ridden neighborhood in east L.A. through the eyes of twelve inner city kids and their teachers was mind-blowing at times. The hurdles that these motivated, yet human kids, have to jump through is astounding. A good read..definitely recommend.
A moving and factual story about how 12 students endured their troubled childhoods and succeed in life, making it through high school and on to college although they have so much to carry upon their shoulders. I recommend this book to anyone looking for something non-fictional to read. :D go for it! You will love it, guarenteed!
"If we are going to eliminate special admissions to selective schools, we should start with those special admissions that have the weakest justification... After we have succeeded in eliminating special admissions for alumni children, athletes, Nebraskans, the wealthy, the well-connected, and friends of the dean, they will have acquired the moral standing to raise their voice against affirmative action." Also, I liked the contrasting English teachers, who demonstrated very different ways of teac...more
May 15, 2013
Betty
added it
Such a heartbreaking and inspiring book! Crowing takes us into the world of gifted teenagers, caught between the desire to learn and to go to college, on one hand, and on the other the chaos of life in south central L.A. -- uncaring foster homes, crack-addicted parents, dependent siblings. The courage and intelligence of these kids is awesome, and Corwin makes their story a page-turner.
This book actually made me cry. A couple of times, if I remember correctly. Corwin's initial motive was to make an argument for the importance of Affirmative Action by depicting the lives of kids in Crenshaw High School's Gifted Magnet Program. But this book is so much more than that. I found myself in this book, from unrealized potential to imprisoned thinking, to the everyday struggles that no one at the decision-making level can take into account without experience.
Even in a program supposed...more
Even in a program supposed...more
One of the best books I have read all year. Great writing and truly inspirational stories about these young individuals who have overcome so many obstacles and endured so many hardships. I am still thinking about this book weeks after I read it and wondering what I could do to help this area of Los Angeles, which has truly been forgotten. One of my top 10 of 2008!
The stories of these students is captivating. It supports my belief that education can and will set us free. All schools are not created equal and even though a lot is stacked against some students, they can still make it if there is enough belief in themselves, support we need from home, community, and the school.
Some of the use of statistics and the discussions of affirmative action were interesting, but I felt like they weren't always accurate, as if they were used more for the author's motiv...more
Some of the use of statistics and the discussions of affirmative action were interesting, but I felt like they weren't always accurate, as if they were used more for the author's motiv...more
This is an inspiring story about inner city students in Los Angeles. Despite the many horrors these students encounter throughout their young lives, they persevere and overcome by earning scholarships, attending college, and becoming successful.
It's a wonderful story.
It's a wonderful story.
I wanted to like this book, I really did. The general story itself is worth telling, really, NEEDS to be told. Unfortunately, I didn't think in this particular book it was told very well. I didn't like the writing. I thought the author maybe could have taken a few tips from the English teachers he profiled. I also felt the political overtones in the book really weren't necessary, and that kind of thing tends to put me off. Honestly, the political overtones weren't in-your-face, they were somewha...more
Breezing through this book. Went to starbucks on my way home yesterday because I couldn't stop reading and didn't want to be sucked into the world of television. along with the stories of 12 high school students at Crenshaw in South Central LA, Corwin provides a history of the area and goes into his opinions on Affirmative Action. One of his main motivators for the book was the fact that California essentially eliminated affirmative action with proposition 209. His book bolsters: "To treat some...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teaching Styles: Little vs. Moultrie | 1 | 4 | Aug 08, 2011 10:36am |
Jun 22, 2011 07:42am