false 31980 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 31980 2 32195 3 10 2006 Cross-X total:102|5:27|4:46|3:22|2:7|1:0| 102 399 163 33 18017 3.95 108 35 7770003 84550 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.93 86 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 2 false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 15 18:06:13 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 15 18:15:02 -0700 2007 more...]]> 65699674 2467151 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 0 false Mon May 05 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Jul 31 15:41:47 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 15:41:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 45462481 1008236 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 0 0 false Thu Feb 05 09:50:20 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:50:20 -0800 2009 Journalist Joe Miller's first book is highly political, and very important. Not only does it point fingers at the deficiencies of the Kansas City School Board, but it also reveals how race, class, and poverty affect education in America. While Miller's analysis of these issues may seem old hat, his ...

more...]]> 63080448 70078 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 7 false Tue Jul 21 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 11 15:47:34 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 12:58:06 -0700 2009 more...]]> 9172871 622836 339692 0312426976 9780312426972 5 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339692.Cross_X_The_Amazing_True_Story_of_How_the_Most_Unlikely_Team_from_the_Most_Unlikely_of_Places_Overcame_Staggering_Obstacles_at_Home_and_at_School_to_Challenge_Community_on_Race_Power_and_Education 3.81 16
A Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year

By almost all measures, Kansas City's Central High School is just another failing inner-city school--with abysmal test scores, only one in three graduate. Cross-X is the riveting story of Central's championship debate team. As the students and their coach face formidable opponents from elite prep schools, they must also battle bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and--perhaps most daunting--their own self-destructive choices. It is a gripping story about the essential nature of debate in any democratic society, and how through argument, retort, and wit, ideals survive even under the most difficult conditions.</div></div>]]> 2006 5 1 false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Nov 15 18:16:02 -0800 2007 Thu Nov 15 18:17:49 -0800 2007 more...]]> 49102614 1013193 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 0 false Sat Apr 11 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 19:14:42 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 12 19:34:40 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4560660 275198 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 5 1 false Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Aug 14 18:35:04 -0700 2007 Wed Jan 07 01:46:24 -0800 2009 10731253 700931 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 0 false Wed Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Wed Dec 19 21:27:03 -0800 2007 Wed Dec 19 21:41:34 -0800 2007
I guess this...more...]]> 10026952 4216 339692 0312426976 9780312426972 5 http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-111x148.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/images/nocover-60x80.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/339692.Cross_X_The_Amazing_True_Story_of_How_the_Most_Unlikely_Team_from_the_Most_Unlikely_of_Places_Overcame_Staggering_Obstacles_at_Home_and_at_School_to_Challenge_Community_on_Race_Power_and_Education 3.91 102
A Chicago Tribune Best Book of the Year

By almost all measures, Kansas City's Central High School is just another failing inner-city school--with abysmal test scores, only one in three graduate. Cross-X is the riveting story of Central's championship debate team. As the students and their coach face formidable opponents from elite prep schools, they must also battle bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and--perhaps most daunting--their own self-destructive choices. It is a gripping story about the essential nature of debate in any democratic society, and how through argument, retort, and wit, ideals survive even under the most difficult conditions.</div></div>]]> 2006 4 0 false Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 06 06:30:04 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 06 06:34:54 -0800 2007 more...]]> 9392449 18101 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Nov 21 08:02:56 -0800 2007 Sat Jan 12 19:12:53 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4609563 279256 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 5 0 false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Wed Aug 15 16:26:07 -0700 2007 Sat Jan 26 10:14:00 -0800 2008 more...]]> 999443 73363 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 0 false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed May 02 18:42:29 -0700 2007 Mon Jun 25 11:45:50 -0700 2007 more...]]> 47143195 1596431 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 3 0 false Sun Mar 08 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 08:57:18 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 13:07:22 -0700 2009 more...]]> 75057368 2176410 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 2 0 false Mon Oct 19 15:41:17 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 19 15:41:17 -0700 2009 9832773 121271 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 4 0 false Thu Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 02 05:13:08 -0800 2007 Sun Dec 02 05:18:55 -0800 2007 more...]]> 9886422 77092 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 3 0 false Mon Dec 03 11:26:17 -0800 2007 Mon Dec 03 19:59:16 -0800 2007 more...]]> 10749031 618999 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 3 0 false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 20 08:20:44 -0800 2007 Thu Dec 20 08:23:49 -0800 2007 more...]]> 1367098 77783 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 5 0 false Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Tue May 22 11:02:59 -0700 2007 Tue May 22 11:08:27 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3723686 191639 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 5 0 false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 19:07:38 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 19:10:33 -0700 2007 Cross-X would be too technical for the lay reader. Thankfully, my fears proved unfounded. Miller has done an excellent job of mingling technical terms with explanation, and the questions that arise over his year with the Kansas City Central debate squad are ...more...]]> 3746747 231727 31980 0374131945 9780374131944 28 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832m/31980.jpg http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168297832s/31980.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31980.Cross_X 3.91 102 Cross-X, journalist Joe Miller follows the Kansas City Central High School’s debate squad through the 2002 season that ends with a top-ten finish at the national championships in Atlanta.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>By almost all measures, Central is just another failing inner-city school. Ninety-nine percent of the students are minorities. Only one in three graduate. Test scores are so low that Missouri bureaucrats have declared the school “academically deficient.” But week after week, a crew of Central kids heads off to debate tournaments in suburbs across the Midwest and South, where they routinely beat teams from top-ranked schools. In a game of fast-talking, wit, and sheer brilliance, these students close the achievement gap between black and white students—an accomplishment that educators and policy makers across the country have been striving toward for years.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Here is the riveting and poignant story of four debaters and their coach as they battle formidable opponents from elite prep schools, bureaucrats who seem maddeningly determined to hold them back, friends and family who are mired in poverty and drug addiction, and—perhaps most daunting—their own self-destructive choices. In the end, Miller finds himself on a campaign to change debate itself, certain that these students from the Eastside of Kansas City may be the saviors of a game that is intrinsic to American democracy.</DIV></DIV>]]> 2006 2 0 false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Jul 29 11:31:24 -0700 2007 Thu Dec 17 02:42:48 -0800 2009 more...]]> 8 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=31980