Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope
Jonathan Kozol's books have become touchstones of the American conscience. In his most personal and optimistic book to date, Jonathan returns to the South Bronx to spend another four years with the children who have come to be his friends at P.S. 30 and St. Ann's. A fascinating narrative of daily urban life seem through the eyes of children, "Ordinary Resurrections" gives...more
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
February 20th 2001
by Harper Perennial
(first published 2000)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,138)
Jonathon Kozol sings a pretty consistent tune over the course of his writing and political career: urban schools need money, segregation exists as strongly as ever in America, and it's overdue that we look at why our schools are failing.
All those ideas are present in this book, and while the voice is not as aggressive the sad truth is that the themes have not changed.
In this book Kozol is admittedly older, obviously a bit tired, and clearly wiser. Now instead of every anecdote carrying the weigh...more
All those ideas are present in this book, and while the voice is not as aggressive the sad truth is that the themes have not changed.
In this book Kozol is admittedly older, obviously a bit tired, and clearly wiser. Now instead of every anecdote carrying the weigh...more
Kozol has aged well, and I think I liked this better than some of his more famous works. The activism and rage that starts to look ridiculous with time has faded to a mature, more personal portrait of children, and also of his own life. Lyrical, universal, charming, and hopeful, with the perspective of age and the intensely personal good rather than an abstract, and possibly unobtainable view of a utopia, I'd highly recommend this one. The love shines through, rather than the detached journalist...more
This is the first of Jonathan Kozol's books that I've read, and I got a lot of inspiration from it at a time when I've really been needing just that. I own and direct an early childhood center that's populated mostly by high-risk families, and I'd been feeling frustrated and hopeless lately by the minor crises and disappointments that come along with my job. I picked up this book in hopes that it would would give me some perspective and renewed purpose, and it did. The stories of the children in...more
Jonathan Kozol is an angel sent from heaven to tell the tales of inequality in urban education. All of his books have had a profound impact on me, but this one stands out. This book reminds me so much of my students in Washington, DC and inspires me to never forget them and never give up on improving education for our neediest students.
This man needs to be a Cabinet member with direct access to Obama and an unlimited budget. I want him to be able to create policy that will turn urban America upside down and let kids like Pineapple have a chance. After finishing this book (or any of Kozol's books), I am angry, inspired, energized, moved ... it's a bit of a train wreck.
This is the first Johnathan Kozol book I've read and it went by very quickly. The man writes with conviction and compassion although it borders on sentimentality at times. That would make sense, of course, given that his subject is the education inequalities of children in poor neighborhoods, and while he doesn't get too deeply into the political aspect of these inequalities, he captures well-rounded portraits of the children in the hopes perhaps that his audience will take notice and care for t...more
I am not a huge fan of Kozol. He is certainly a workmenlike writer and researcher. I admire his commitment to publicizing and presenting the working poor and the poor in America. However, his books do tend to blur together and they tend to have a voyeauristic quality than I eventually became uncomfortable with.
Feb 07, 2013
Peggy Newburgh sheehy
added it
At some conference--somewhere -- Gary Stager and I ended up haunting a huge old used bookstore and I was thrilled when he gave me a stack of books! I was even more thrilled when I read this one... it made me happy, inspired, and ..angry. Thank you, Gary! http://stager.tv/blog/
Not my favorite Kozol book. But really, I love anything by him so it doesn't matter. This one is more of a story, his other books have an agenda to convey. You will fall in love with the kids at St. Ann's. It makes me long for when I will be back at a school like PS 30 or even PS 65!
An amazing story of children and dedicated teachers. Hats off (and many thanks) to teachers! Thinking of the great education I received many years ago in the KC public school system and particularly of a few exceptioinal teachers.
Such a sad testimony to school systems in urban areas. These children have such traumatic childhoods...and as adults, they are the population that I see daily.
Though I left teaching, Kozol and his quest remain close to my heart. His "Savage Inequalities" had a HUGE impact on me in college.
Kozol is never preachy but brings his subjects to life and makes you care about them and feel the injustice they face.
A nice follow-up to Amazing Grace but not as powerful, and not nearly as powerful as Savage Inequalities.
Not something to read when you're down, but definitely eye opening for parts and parts just a bit too much
Jul 30, 2011
Shorewalker
added it
Uplifting - hope - yet to be realized.
Read savage inequalities first
Jan 14, 2010
Carrie Pirmann
added it
books I've read,education
Read as part of a book club
Mar 08, 2010
Med Brahimi
added it
Yyy
Love Jonathan Kozol's books!!
(I'll go ahead and post this review for all Jonathan Kozol books). I really like what he writes about and how he does it. Kozol is pretty remarkable given he has devoted his life to putting the spotlight on societal issues and problems in urban communities -- all in the hopes of bringing about change. Sadly though not much has improved and there is little hope for a better future for the families that Kozol befriends and whose lives are portrayed in his books.
I am currently reading this book for my Middle Childhood class. It is not a text book, but more of a documentary and it is fabulous and heartbreaking and full of issues in society that tear at my heart strings... this book is real and it is amazing!
I had to read this one for school. Although there was no over-arching "plot", I really enjoyed it. Kozol shares about his experiences working with underprivileged kids in the New York school system.
As the title suggests, this book provides a strong sense of inspiration and strength for anyone on the quest to bridge the inequality gap that exists for so many children in the New York public school system. The story is very personal, an easy read, and filled with small yet meaningful recounts of the author's beautiful little moments with children in the South Bronx.
Kozol's latest book, he returns to the same neighborhood that he wrote Amazing Grace. In comparison to his previous books, he admits that this book is more tempered, less all-out fire and passion-- but in doing so, i think he is more honest and transparent about the occasional doubts that affect many people who work in underserved communities (myself included).
Sachs, throughout all his writing, has really gotten at the heart of what the problems in our educational system are. This book is no different, but offers up hope in the lives of the children he writes about. Despite their horrendous circumstances, these kids still find a way to shine.
Humanizes the issue of poverty and lack of opportunities in America's inner cities. The author lets us get to know some of his friends in the Bronx, and appreciate them as human beings rather than statistics or posters for social justice.
May 11, 2008
Hung
added it
I met Jonathan Kozol in 2000, when this book first came out. He's a remarkable and inspiring figure. As mentioned elsewhere, this book is quieter and more reflective than some of his other work but no less moving.
I'm reading this one for a multicultural class for my master's degree as a reading specialist. It's very insightful and something that anyone who works with children who live in poverty should read.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Jonathan Kozol is a non-fiction writer, educator, and activist best known for his work towards reforming American public schools. Upon graduating from Harvard, he received a Rhodes scholarship. After returning to the United States, Kozol became a teacher in the Boston Public Schools, until he was fired for teaching a Langston Hughes poem. Kozol has held two Guggenheim Fellowships, has twice been a...more
More about Jonathan Kozol...
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“Good teachers don't approach a child of this age with overzealousness or with destructive conscientiousness. They're not drill-masters in the military or floor managers in a production system. They are specialists in opening small packages. They give the string a tug but do it carefully. They don't yet know what's in the box. They don't know if it's breakable. ”
—
9 people liked it
“We should invest in kids like these," we're told, "because it will be more expensive not to." Why do our natural compassion and religious inclinations need to find a surrogate in dollar savings to be voiced or acted on? Why not give these kids the best we have because we are a wealthy nation and they are children and deserve to have some fun while they are still less than four feet high?”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…
