Kenneth Chanko

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Kenneth Chanko

Goodreads Author


Born
in Manhattan, The United States
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May 2012

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Kenneth Chanko's debut novel, "Exit Tickets," eleven years in the works, was inspired by his ten years of teaching in Manhattan and South Bronx public schools. A former entertainment journalist, whose byline has appeared in The New York Times, New York magazine and Entertainment Weekly, Chanko switched careers in his mid-40s to become a New York City public school teacher.

"Exit Tickets" has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as "a powerful, realistic portrayal of life in the American public education system," with the novel being awarded PW's "Editor's Pick" in its December 1st, 2025, issue. And Kirkus Reviews, in its Nov 15 issue, praised it as "a masterful tapestry of strife and resiliency."

Chanko is currently working on a sequel to "Exit T
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Average rating: 4.39 · 18 ratings · 14 reviews · 1 distinct work
Exit Tickets: A Novel

4.39 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 2025 — 3 editions
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Rubber Room Writings

If I hadn’t been arrested on Valentine’s Day in 2014, you wouldn’t be reading this. There’d be no blog because there’d be no book.

Not that I want to spoil your reading of my debut novel—I know you’re eager to get your hands on "Exit Tickets" (pub date: Nov 18)—but that agonizing experience provided me with the time to start scribbling and informed the plot of "Exit Tickets."

Not, however, while I w Read more of this blog post »
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Published on November 14, 2025 04:41 Tags: the-origin-story-of-exit-tickets
Fear City: New Yo...
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A Life of Jesus
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Kenneth’s Recent Updates

Kenneth Chanko entered a giveaway
Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy
Half His Age
by Jennette McCurdy
50 copies available, ends on February 19, 2026 Enter to win »
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Vigil by George Saunders
Vigil
by George Saunders
60 copies available, ends on January 26, 2026 Enter to win »
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Hyperion by Dan Simmons
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Brutal Imagination by Cornelius Eady
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These two cycles of poems — by the poet Zohran Mamdani chose to read a new poem, “Proof,” at his Jan 1 inauguration ceremony — are devastatingly good.
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Miracle Children by Katie Benner
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Brutal Imagination by Cornelius Eady
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Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
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Kenneth Chanko is on page 59 of 416 of Fear City
Fear City by Kim Phillips-Fein
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End Times Fascism by Naomi Klein
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Discipline by Randa Abdel-Fattah
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