The Freedom Writers Diary: How a
Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to
Change Themselves and the World
Around Them by The Freedom Writers
& Erin Gruwell
Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to
Change Themselves and the World
Around Them by The Freedom Writers
& Erin Gruwell
THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY by The Freedom Writers & Erin Gruwell
Category: Non-Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Publisher: Broadway
Release Date: 12/12/06
Reviewed by: Taylor Rector
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the book that the movie “The Freedom Writers” is based on. These are the diaries of the students put into one
book.
There are no names used in the book—each diary entry has a number, so that the students could feel free to write what
they wanted without knowing exactly who wrote what. Personally, I think this is a great idea because the diary entries
were very open and you could tell the students wrote exactly what they felt.
THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY is a truly excellent book, because everything is so real and most of The Freedom
Writers had to grow up at an extremely early age. Many had their innocence taken away around the age of ten. The
Rodney King riots were going on and the Columbine High School event occurred during the time of the book. These high
school students had seen more murder and dead bodies then most people will ever see in their entire lives.
99% of The Freedom Writers have even been shot at. This is an extremely true and eye-opening statistic. Segregation is
still an issue in the United States, even though many people don’t have to deal with it. This book taught me a lot about
tolerance and what happens on the streets of Long Beach, California.
Category: Non-Fiction
Age Recommendation: Grades 9+
Publisher: Broadway
Release Date: 12/12/06
Reviewed by: Taylor Rector
Rating: 5 Stars
This is the book that the movie “The Freedom Writers” is based on. These are the diaries of the students put into one
book.
There are no names used in the book—each diary entry has a number, so that the students could feel free to write what
they wanted without knowing exactly who wrote what. Personally, I think this is a great idea because the diary entries
were very open and you could tell the students wrote exactly what they felt.
THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY is a truly excellent book, because everything is so real and most of The Freedom
Writers had to grow up at an extremely early age. Many had their innocence taken away around the age of ten. The
Rodney King riots were going on and the Columbine High School event occurred during the time of the book. These high
school students had seen more murder and dead bodies then most people will ever see in their entire lives.
99% of The Freedom Writers have even been shot at. This is an extremely true and eye-opening statistic. Segregation is
still an issue in the United States, even though many people don’t have to deal with it. This book taught me a lot about
tolerance and what happens on the streets of Long Beach, California.
