The Freedom Writers

Our daughter suggested that we view the film The Freedom Writers, the true story of an idealistic young teacher who helped "at risk" high school kids to find their voices through reading The Diary of Anne Frank, learning about the holocaust, keeping diaries of their own lives and, of course, entering into meaningful relationship with someone who believed in them. The film was inspiring, especially because it was true. As usual, the special features on the dvd were in some ways the best part. There one can see the actual Erin Gruwell(as opposed to Hilary Shank who plays Erin in the film--photo on the left shows them together) and the actual students. The most amazing part is that the making of the film with the young people of color, often first time actors, replicated the process that went on in Gruwell's classroom. Thank you, Rena, for this great recommendation.