Guardians at the Gate

by Ray Dacolias

Margaret C. Carbuncle is the principal at Amethyst Elementary. She has an insatiable appetite for power and soon becomes a tyrant; she also develops a desire for prestige and glory, and she knows the only way to attain this is through high test scores for her elementary school. Therefore, she drives her Teachers into a frenzy as she demands that they instruct only those subjects that will be included on the all-important, all-consuming state examination. She is ruthless in her desire to achieve her lofty goals. She happily destroys the lives of anyone who gets in her way. Some of the Teachers fight back, and some of them are destroyed by her; still, she cannot be everywhere at every moment, but when cameras are put into the classrooms, the Teachers are nearly under her complete control. But then the Secret comes, and with it, the Teachers are able to carry on, and wait for the day they will be liberated and can educate as they know best; yes, they survive, but the school slowly dies, for no true learning occurs, only monotonous, repetitive lessons that inoculate the students with certain test-ready knowledge. And then one day, two small visitors come for Carbuncle and attempt to teach her a real lesson in civility and charity and give her a chance to repent for all she has done to the inhabitants of the school. Will Carbuncle reform? If she reforms, will she fight for the Teachers? If she refuses, what will be the consequences? And what is the Secret? Public schools are an easy target for anyone who has a yellow pen or a high position in society or politics and who decries the state of education in America, thereby crucifying every Teacher in every school and empowering principals like Carbuncle everywhere; yet, these people form their opinions about American schools from flawed childhood memories, unreliable anecdotes, and distortions of the truth. Read every word between the covers of this book and you will soon know what is really going on in the secret world of public schools, for the author of this tale is a former educator, and reveals the unabashed, sordid truth, albeit in novel form, about America’s crumbling educational system.

Genres: Fiction

202 pages, Paperback

First published May 17, 2013

Reviews

[Jane Night · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got this book from a Goodreads giveaway. I was so excited when it arrived. The premise was interesting to me. I was home schooled through half of grade school and all of junior high because my parents had concerns about the local schools education system. They worried that the school was primarily worried about test scores and not about learning.

So, I really wanted to like this book and I already knew I overall agreed with the message.

Sadly, this book was not a read I could enjoy and I quit reading at page 17.

Firstly, the beginning of the book was just information dumping. We learn that Mrs. Carbuncle is the most evil woman in the world. She hates men but has been married 3 times. She loves power and doesn't care about the children she teaches as long as they get the desired test scores. As far as I can tell she has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. She is not at all a likable person yet she is the only character introduced before page 12.

When new characters show up they are terrified of Mrs. Carbuncle but don't have much else going on to make them interesting.

By the end of page 17 there was not a single character I could care about.

[Jacqueline · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is - although it seems like a novel - a critical documentation of the education system. If you consider getting yourself a copy, that's something you should keep in mind.
I wouldn't describe 'Guardians at the Gate' as an easy read, especially at the beginning you can literally feel every word and sentence dripping with sarcasm and negativity. I couldn't get into this book at all.

The sentences were pretty long-drawn-out and made it hard to keep focusing on the story. I caught my mind wandering off into a different direction while reading a couple of times. Nevertheless I could see what the author was trying to do and what he wanted to express with Guardians at the Gate. This book might be better suited for people who love to be socio-critical, to put it that way. I'm sure they will appreciate to read this kind of book. Unfortunately it was not for me. I forced my way through this book, but that's not the way reading should feel.


* I won a copy of this book at the Goodreads giveaway. *

[Edel Waugh Salisbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story about one school and it's scary power hungry principle Mrs Carbuncle. This lady is on a mission and anybody who gets in her way she will take down! Wanting to get the best test scores for her school she is determined to get the results she wants using whatever methods she can avail of. The teachers and students are both wary of this sarcastic educator and all fear just what she will come up with next. Carbuncle is a character you will love to hate.

[Amelia Aura · Rating 2 out of 5]

a really sarcasm book, i didnt cozy read a lot of rude words on the book, but other words you write are good at all. And i like the genre of this book, but unfortunately not the sarcasm thought.

[Nina Miteva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review/Пълно ревю - click :)

Pre-read thoughts:
When I was a kid, Matilda by Roald Dahl was one of my favourites. When I read the description of this book, my first thought was about the terrifying Miss Trunchbull and with this idea in mind I started the book.

The story:
Margaret Carbuncl is the monstrous new school principal, who sees herself like a queen and almost like a goddess who rules with fear her teachers. Obsessed with power and the idea of keeping the image of the school at its best, she is imposing strict rules over students and teachers. Along the way she ruins lifes, drives people desperate, forcing them to give up on their dreams and dignity - and taking a great pleasure of it. So what would the small resistance group in the school do?

After-read thoughts:

What I liked most in this book is that questions some pretty important subjects - that maybe many people would rather not delve into. While I am not an USA citizen, I read about the school system with great interest, and I can vouch that there are similar problems everywhere - not only in different countries in the world, but also in various areas that turn more and more into business; the clash with administration and etc.
The choice of the title has a very strong impact on me comparing Mrs Carbuncle and her alies to guardiand at prison's gate.
I don't know if the author has personally been in a position similar to the characters, but the tone of the book was very emotional. In some places, especially in James' letter, I had the feeling it was the author speaking. The book has a lot of irony, bordering sometimes to sarcasm and can sound a bit harsh.
I am usually a big fan of long sentences, but I know this can put many people off. And here the majority of the phrases were a bit too long even for me. But overall I enjoyed the style of the author, for me it was fast read.
So I vote up for the theme/genre of the book and the style, but I had an issue with the way the story goes and it really threw me in confusion.
The book starts presenting the characters, the school, the problems and their development in a completely normal, slice-of-life kind of way, and the suddenly in the last part of the book we have fairy tale characters and divine powers fixing things up. The change was very sudden for me, and this was the deus ex machina ending I really don't enjoy.
In most of the book we follow the silent battle - or the Game, as it is reffered to, between Margaret and the Teachers. It was my favourite part. I felt for them and especially liked James, so I was impatiently waiting to see what will come from their plan, but the story left them at the point of hiding. I really wanted to see more - especially of Joy and maybe Celeste, but actually all of the teachers - to see the results of their resistance. I thought it would be interesting even to know more of Margaret's son and his relationship with his mother.
And then, in the last part of the book, it all had a weird turn. I can't set my mind about this. At one hand, I have to admit I enjoyed the retelling of the fairy tales with Margaret in them. But it all came just out of nowhere and considering the way the story was going, it left me rather unsatisfied. The first and the last part were separated, it was like they were from two very different reads. And like this, the message of the story is very mixed. I think I would love more if
1) The story progressed without any supernatural elements - following the actions of the teachers that, maybe with the help of the kids (just like Joy was doing) succeed to overthrow Margaret, showing her real face to the world.
or 2) Keeping the fairy tale and divine conclusion, but giving more hints of the presence of the supernatural along the way. Right now, the only hint the reader had was the brief meeting of Margaret with the orphans. I think this would make the transition more smooth and acceptable. If only the last chapter was instead in the beginning, I would have been more prepared of the fairy tale twist ahead.
or 3) Combining 1 and 2 - where the teachers' efforts entwine with the supernatural justice.
I liked the genre and the emotion in the book, but the story turn left me unsatisfied. From a firm 4 stars(which is I really liked it) in the middle of the story, by the end it was more like 3.50.

~~~
Предпрочитно:
Когато бях малка, книгата на Роалд Дал „Матилда“ и филмът по нея бяха сред любимите ми. Гледала съм го сигурно десетки пъти. Когато прочетох анотацията на тази книга тук, която разказва за – почти буквално – окупацията на едно училище от директорката, образът ѝ се сля в съзнанието ми с този на страховитата госпожица Трънчбъл; и така започнах да чета с идеята че ми предстои една „Матилда“ за вързрастни и от учителската перспектива.


Историята:
Маргарет Карбънкъл е свръхамбициозната нова директорка, която вижда себе си като кралица, и почти като богиня на новото си училище. Нейната единствена цел е да поддържа имиджа на училището чрез високи резултати от годишните оценъчни тестове – дори и това да значи да премахне от програмата всеки предмет, който не се включва в тях и децата да минат на строга диета от граматика и алгебра. Опиянена от чувството за сила, което позицията ѝ дава, тя не се свени да наложи абсурдно строги правила на учители и ученици и с наслада наблюдава как „поданниците“ ѝ са обзети от страх и отчаяние, докато накрая сами не се отказват от мечтите и достойнството си. Само една малка група учители ще се осмелят да възстанат срещу нея – но дали ще постигнат нещо?


Следпрочитно:
Книгата засяга доста наболели въпроси, разглеждайки отблизо образователната система на САЩ. Оказва се, че проблемите им са си доста универсални и ситуациите могат да се пренесат не само в други страни, но и в различни други професии и отрасли, които са започнали като едно, а с времето им е наложено да се превърнат повече и повече в бизнес. Сблъсъкът между администрацията и служителите, коренно различните им очаквания и подходи, тезата за „клиентът винаги е прав“ - а когато бизнесът е училището, а клиентът е ученикът – къде е правото; доколко са еднакви всички деца, та да очакваме еднакви резултати от тях – книжката задълбава доста по тези въпроси.
Заглавието ми беше доста любопитно, тъй като в началото нямаше голям смисъл, но още в първите глави се разкри, че това е сравнение с пазачите пред вратите на трудов лагер, като каквато се изживява директорката Карбънкъл. Сравнението си е доста силно, и още от това си личи голямата доза емоция, която авторът е оставил върху книгата. Нямам идея дали е бил някога в подобна на описаните ситуации, но някои места наистина сякаш говореше директно чрез героите си – особено в отвореното писмо на Джеймс. Емоцията в книгата е една от силните ѝ страни и наистина човек съпреживява и съчувства на младите учители, разкъсвани между желанието си да работят с децата и страха да не изгубят работата си. Същевременно обаче на места звучи малко едностранчиво, и е гарнирано с доста ирония, границеща със сарказъм.
Обикновено съм голям фен на дългите изречения – дайте ми фрази по половин абзац – ще ги изпапкам без да ми мигне окото. Но тук и на мен ми приседнаха малко, защото почти всички изречения бяха по половин-един абзац. Така или иначе, като цяло беше бързо и приятно четене-заради-самото-четене.
И така – обобщение досега – стилът и темата на книгата определено ми допаднаха, но начинът, по който историята се разви в крайна сметка определено не ми беше по вкуса.
В началото на книгата са представени героите, училището, проблемите, и всичко започва да се развива по един абсолютно нормален начин, ден по ден, и нищо не подсказва, че изведнъж в последната част на книгата ще се изсипят тумба герои от приказките да оправят нещата. Тази промяна ми беше твърде рязка и не на място.
По-голямата част от историята беше „нормалната“, където проследявахме тихата война – или Играта – между Маргарет и учителите, и определено по-добрата част. Наистина те те печелят за каузата – особено Джеймс – и с нетърпение очаквах да видя как ще се развие планът им да разкрият на света незаконните практики на директорката. Историята обаче ги остави на етапа, в който бяха решили да се покрият и поне временно да се правят, че изпълняват всичките ѝ заръки. Наистина исках целият план да се развие докрай, както и много от героите, които бяха представени, но сякаш не напълно – като Джой и Селест – да вземат повечко участие. Даже би било интересно да узнаем повече за сина на Маргарет и връзката между тях.
И точно в този момент, когато е всичко е скрито-покрито, дошла е Коледната ваканция, поне аз очаквам след нея да настъпи големият сблъсък и да се разреши всичко – историята се завърта - не на 180 градуса, а по-скоро на 560, след което поема право нагоре. Дори и аз не мога да реша какво е мнението ми за това. От една страна, трябва да си призная, че ми беше интересно да прочета преразказаните приказки с Маргарет в главаната роля, където тя се опитваше да изкупи вината си. Обичам приказки! Но наистина тук не им беше мястото. Сякаш началото и края на историята бяха от две съвсем различни книги. Пък и така посланието е доста смесено – в крайна сметка учителите не постигат никакъв резултат от своите действия, а да се надяваш на помощ от Хензел и Гретел при проблеми с шефа е малко нереално. Определено щеше да ми хареса повече, ако:

Цялата история беше без нищо свръхестествено. Учители, ученици и родители успяват да отхвърлят тиранията на Маргарет. Това би бил предпочитаният от мен вариант, още повече че сякаш натам се бе запътило всичко.
Да се запази фантастичната развръзка, но по някакъв начин да се подскаже присъствието на свръхестествени сили, за да не бъде сюжетната смяна толкова рязка. Сега има само една кратка среща на Маргарет със сирачетата, които по-късно се представят като Хензел и Гретел. Ако дори само последната обобщаваща глава за приказките беше в началото, щеше да омекоти нещата.
1 + 2 По някакъв начин усилията на учителите и свръхестественото да се преплетат (дори и без учителите да узнават за това) и отново да се стигне до заветния хепи ендинг.


В крайна сметка, тематиката и емоционалния заряд на книгата ме спечелиха, но ходът на историята не. До последните глави оценката ми беше твърдо четири звездички, което ще рече „Наистина ми хареса“, но до края падна на 3.50.

[Moná · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way people treat each other demonstrates their true character. Unfortunately, not many were given a childhood or early stages of life under proper care and unconditional love. Then they grow up, suffer horrific experiences in a world full of disappointments, in turn, develop as a bitter adult of society. There are many hurting individuals and all they know is to hurt others, making them feel the pain they live with on a daily basis. Being the victim is a terrible position to be in, but does that give you the right to portray the role of an abuser?

In “Guardians of the Gate,” author Ray Dacolias introduces his readers to Margaret C. Carbuncle, an old woman who lived out her days not trusting any man, based on her past experience with her three late husbands. Both trust and love she kept within and only wanted to gain power and control over her life as well as everyone else she encounters. She honestly believed she was a powerful queen, ruler of the world, and everyone should bow to her every whim. Living in society, having no respect for any other living thing, sure was lonely and she was fine with it. As the principal of her own school, she tormented all her staff, students, and teachers by making their workplace intolerable. Outrageous rules, invasion of privacy, strict guidelines that were mandatory to follow, only because she wanted to prove to the administration of education that she can sit at the table amongst her male peers.

This book provided a valuable lesson to any reader, that love and compassion towards others is a requirement to gain respect. The author added in the perspective of Margaret as fairytale characters, placing her in situations in order to change her ways and repent. I recommend reading this book, as it offers developing an emotional connection with the protagonist in hopes she’ll understand the bigger picture.

[Janie Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got this very creepy tale of a dictatorial school principal who believes she is superior to everyone at her school as a Goodreads giveaway. She is so awful, punishing teachers with poor evaluations for perceived violations of her rules, letting students run wild, all in the name of good State test scores or anything that makes her look good.

The teachers eventually find a way to escape her presence and save their sanity in the process. They discover a place where things are “normal” and where they can hide out from their evil boss.

Eventually the principal is dragged into the teacher’s other world where she fails miserably at being a kind, considerate human being and is thrown back to the real world. Justice is finally served when the principal is killed by a tree and sent to an ugly world full of bugs, dark beings, and evil.

This book is not for anyone who had a dictatorial educational experience but is a reminder that kindness and decency will eventually overcome evil dictators.

[Félise · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of this was written in the passive voice, and there was a lot more description than action, which made it a slow read. Bad administrators getting in the way of good teaching is an all too real everyday occurrence, but the fact that the principal is bad is about all that's been established halfway through the book. It becomes less of a tedious read when there's a fairy tale twist near the end, but switching genres that late in the game really came out of nowhere. I didn't find any reason to care about any of the characters early on, but because I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway I plowed on.

[Kent Dallmeyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

[Grant · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads. I tried to give it a fair shot, but by the time I got to 15% and still could not find any semblance of a plot, I was done.

[Karen E. Garcia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won a free copy of this book in a Goodreads Contest. The concept of the story was good, I admit it was the first book I have encountered with a story centered on a principal. The moral of the story was great in which forgiveness, love, and good conquers the negative. I would have given it a 4 if it wasn't for a few things. There were handfuls of sentences in which it was filled with extra details and adjectives, making me forget the point of the sentence and having to read it again but skimming the extra details. The description is good but it was too much and a few details would have still got the point across. Also once you hit Chapter 27, Story Time, the story becomes another one and left me confused. It was hard to get through because I kept thinking what is this and why. Margaret Carbuncle, the principal, apparently saw two kids who then placed her in fairytales in an attempt to show her the errors of her way and then the kids are gone and she goes on with her life. Stating it was not a dream and for a story that started close to reality then Chapter 27 and 28, Back Again, turned into fantasy was a bit complicated. It would have been better if Margaret slipped or whatever and knocked out entering a dream and the characters in the fairytales where people she knew in her real life, instead of the whole thing happening in real time and not a dream. It was just out of place but other then that it was a good book that had a great message.

[Rafael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before anything else, I would like to give my Apologies for my late Review (I guess, there are a lot of stuff happened so that's why). And I also would like to thank Ray Dacolias, the Author, for giving me an opportunity to read his book for free in a hard copy :D. Thank You very very very much, You really don't know How Happy I was when I received your book.

The Book, Guardians at the Gate, is indeed a combination of deep words, regardless of that, it has a very interesting plot/story, it can make you think, why is that? why don't they do that, why, why and why. I actually like this book. The story, how the Introduction (2 thumbs up for the introduction!!) *clings* on me, How the little pieces of humor scattered, How the education of America connected to a very good story. I love this book. I just loved this book. Somehow, it can make you realize, as a person, that you have your part to participate on every move you take. You can learn lessons that you never realize that you were doing the wrong ones.

Sincerely. It made me laugh, It made me annoyed, and emotions filled me up. Over all? I can tell that this book deserves a lot of reader.

This review can also be viewed at Tumblr: http://theliteraturereader.tumblr.com...

[Bobbie Grob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book Guardians at the Gate by Ray Dacolias was a nice surprise as it twisted its way here and there, from modern day to fairy tale and then back again, and then from the Divine to the mortal. As an educator who has had the privilege of seeing how schools work in several different states and in all socioeconomic backgrounds, I expected Dacolias to lampoon the entire system and he did not disappoint. Margaret C. Carbuncle is, as her name implies, a nasty, oozing mass on the face of education. She was created to be such an incredible ogre that I could not take her seriously. She was a delightfully evil ogre who demanded persecution, however difficult that may have been for her fellow educators. Her fate was fitting, and one of the best endings for a fairy-tale-turned-reality story that I have ever read.

This book is definitely an accurate commentary on the state of education today in the way it portrays the immense need to teach to the damnable state-issued tests instead of truly filling students’ heads with real knowledge, but Amethyst School and its inhabitants were little more than the fairy tale characters, and should not be taken seriously. The juxtaposition of the real and the imaginary were wonderfully interwoven, however, and I would definitely recommend this book to others. This is first book I have read by Ray Dacolias, but I am a fan!

[Juliette Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this review here: http://paperbacksandfrosting.com

This novel was given to me in exchange for an honest review.

Okay, so this novel was a little weird for me. There were parts of it that I genuinely enjoyed reading and thought were entertaining. The author has a unique type of humor that is very rare in novels, and I found myself laughing at some parts of it. There were other parts though that seemed to go on for quite a while and I wasn't necessarily sure where they were going or if I was really interested in finding out. This novel does offer a very scathing view of the world of education that I think someone working in that field may appreciate a little more than I did. I also found the writing style a little jarring. It's broken up into sections that tell you something that may or may not come into play a little later on. Overall I found it interesting, but I don't think this is the kind of thing I would want to pick up again. The humor was little hit or miss to me, there were some parts I found very funny and others I didn't. I found the beginning to be a lot more interesting and engrossing than the second. It is something that a teacher or someone else highly invested in the education world might enjoy, but for someone like me who reads to escape from reality for a bit (even if that reality if harsh) it just didn't quite do the trick.

[Marion Grassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Guardians at the Gate
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Big thanks to Ray Dacolias! That being said, the following is my considered review of the book.
The novel is a mix of fairytale/fantasy and modern fiction. Having been a teacher myself (not in the American system) I appreciated the humour within the sarcasm and cynicism. It does make you wonder if some systems appreciate just what the purpose of education is – just to gain high test scores? For what purpose? While the story initially appealed, it lost a little something for me when it wandered into fairytale territory.
The central personality is a controlling bully of a principal who in reality would never be tolerated. Can’t deny however that she is an interesting character, or rather, caricature. I felt the portrayal of females is somewhat polarised. At one end - the detestable principal Margaret Carbuncle, at the other – weak, ultra-nice or vulnerable individuals.
Nevertheless, I found this an enjoyable read.

[Guinevere · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book thru a Goodreads giveaway, and as always, I am grateful to have received the book.

No one could read the description of the book without knowing that the author has a major ax to grind, so I expected a somewhat polarized viewpoint in the story. However, it is unrelentingly polarized with black-&-white, good/evil 2-dimensional characters, and any perspective on ideological issues likewise does not consider any nuances. It carries strong misogynistic over-tones and I did not read very much past the paragraph that describes a refusal by the elderly woman villain to have any plastic surgery done as yet another illustration of her evil.

My impression is that this book is the author's attempt to exorcise some wrongs and struggles that he has dealt with and I hope that it has been therapeutic in a positive way. I cannot recommend that anyone read this book.

[The Adventures of a French Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the story quite long and sometimes boring, especially the beginning, but from the chapter "Story Time" it really began to interest me. I enjoyed the use of fairy tales and some parts reminded me of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It also gave me an insight into the American school system which I do not know.
What annoyed me, especially at the beginning, are the descriptions of female characters. Either they are completely and utterly rotten (Margaret, in that case) or fragile, vulnerable figures, or saints. It is not really realistic. While reading this book, I kept asking myself that question: If the bad character (that is, Margaret) had been a male character, would have the descriptions (or in this case, the attacks) been the same?

[Kyla Corrigan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book I received through a Goodreads giveaway.

I did enjoy the book right up to the point that the author started reciting fairy tales. Not being an American I found the way that the education system was ran there, in the past, very interesting. Mrs Carbuncle reminded me a lot of my 5th grade primary school teacher, very strict and set in her ways. Unlike my 5th grade teacher Carbuncle became a regular bully.

I give this book 3 stars because I did thoroughly enjoy the first part of the novel. Unfortunately it sort of lost the plot once the author started reciting fairy tales and hence lost my interest.

[Lesley Fowler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book in my opinion was average. The principal was a real cow and in a true world, she would have been fired long ago for verbal abuse, harrassement etc. Couldn't understand why the teachers all didn't walk out and go on strike.

[Kida · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway, and at first I would like to thank the author for giving me the opportunity to have a copy.

I liked the story and I suggest to the others to read this book.

[C. Stuchl · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not the kind of book I would usually read but I did manage to finish it. I can see were the story was about power, fame, and corruption. Mrs. Carbuncle certainly was a mean person.
Thank you Goodreads and Mr. Dacolias for the free book.

[Kimber Burnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as a First Reads from goodreads

[Cindy Scheffler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting read. The characters were well written.

[Mary Ortiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an ok read I read it all the way through but didn’t really get into the story . Thanks to goodreads , the author, and publisher for the chance to read this book,

[Anastasia Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Won on the Goodreads First Read giveaways.

The average book, but readable.

[Clipinchick]

I received this book for free from the author/publisher in response for an honest review of the book. I have not had the opportunity to read this book at this time. I will add my review of this book once I have read the book. Thank k you for allowing me the optometrist review your work. I look forward to reading this book.