June 1, 2017
The story of a mutually transformative friendship between the author and a black student she met as a Teach for America volunteer in Arkansas.Kuo (Race, Law, and Society/American Univ. of Paris) knew that her post-college plan to teach underprivileged students "American history through black literature" in the tiny Mississippi Delta town of Helena went against what her ambitious Taiwanese parents wanted for her. Yet the need to obey the dictates of a strong social conscience was stronger than the desire for material gain and success. Once in Arkansas, Kuo quickly discovered that her assignment at an underfunded alternative middle school was far more difficult than she had imagined. Most of her students had never encountered an Asian person before, and in her more disillusioned moments, the author found herself thinking that she was just a "cliche [of the] middle class outsider." Her friendship with 15-year-old Patrick Browning, a quiet young black man in her eighth-grade class, became her saving grace. Patrick thrived under Kuo's tutelage, revealing a profound sensitivity and intelligence that moved the young teacher. Acceptance to law school took Kuo to Harvard, where, during the course of her studies, she learned that Patrick was in jail, charged with murder. Desperate to find a way to help her former student, she put off building the legal career she now realized inspired no passion to return to Arkansas. As the author helped Patrick's lawyer find justice for her client, she visited Patrick--who committed the crime in order to protect a family member--in jail every day. The two read classics by such writers as Frederick Douglass, Derek Walcott, Rita Dove, and Walt Whitman while confronting painful questions about race and belonging. In the process, Kuo helped Patrick come to terms with his troubled past and learn to look toward the future with greater hope. Honest, thoughtful, and humane, Kuo's book is not only a testament to a remarkable friendship, but a must-read for anyone interested in social justice and race in America. Thoughtfully provocative reading.
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March 1, 2017
In 2004, while teaching English in the Arkansas Delta under the auspices of Teach for America, Kuo bonded with a bright and eager student named Patrick Browning. Three years later, as she completed law school, she learned that Patrick was in jail for murder and returned to continue reading and discussing literature with him.
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Starred review from May 1, 2017
After graduating from college, Kuo moved to Helena, AR, as a Teach for America volunteer. There, she encouraged students to find their voice by assigning readings from black authors and having students write self-reflective pieces. One of the students, Patrick Browning, transformed from a withdrawn pupil into a thoughtful young writer. When her contract ended, Kuo went on to Harvard Law School. Two years later, she learned that Patrick was in jail for murder. Kuo returned to Helena and tutored Patrick as he lingered in jail, awaiting a trial that may never happen. This account is her memoir of this time, but it is also a meditation on race in America. The author weaves her personal story with that of Patrick and the other students who crossed her life in Helena. She witnesses how many Americans are trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty and comes to several of the same insights as J.D. Vance in Hillbilly Elegy. What differentiates Kuo's work is that throughout her experience, she discovers the healing power of literature. VERDICT This memoir of teaching literature in one of the poorest counties in America is a reminder of how literacy changes lives. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 2/6/17.]--John Rodzvilla, Emerson Coll., Boston
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.