An Everlasting Truth: Writing Speaks and Transforms

An Everlasting Truth: Writing Speaks and Transforms

Have you ever realized that “there are many tragedies that could be stopped if only we [could speak] up more often?” (143). These inspiring words from The Freedom Writers Diary by Erin Gruwell and the Freedom Writers resonates through my head even as I write this review.  As one of the most powerful pieces of art ever written, it took me through a journey that has affected me deeply, both in how I view myself  and how I view the world.  The Freedom Writers Diary reveals the true stories of 150 teen students and how their lives are changed forever by their English teacher Erin Gruwell. The book deals with everyday themes of racism, drugs, gangs, abuse and many others but it twists them in such a way that impacts you to see these them at a whole new level. A simple yet inspiring message comes across: “Never give up because others put labels on you, but stand above them for yourself and for others.” Not only is the message of this book encouraging but also the writing style and organization are just brilliant enough to get the point across. When starting the book you may find yourself on shaky ground, as I did because of the profane language you receive in a few pages yet  I warn you to not  LET THIS THROW YOU OFF because behind the curtain lies  a very unique and interesting concept.   

In “Room 203” (271) of Wilson High School,  students whom have been marked as “troubled kids” (8) and “the school’s rejects”(6) clash with first year teacher Erin Gruwell who at first glance seems “odd” (6) and way “too preppy” (1) but has an in-depth personality. Nevertheless, Erin Gruwell puts aside her own labels and realizes the stereotypes and intolerance these kids face each and everyday. Knowing that a regular ninth grade curriculum won’t work with these kids, she stops what she had planned for the whole year and begins to use a curriculum of reading books such as Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata’s Diary: A Child’s life in Sarajevo . She believes that these books will help them relate to others who have faced cruelty and intolerance yet were able to overcome their adversities. In a project called “Read-a-thon for Tolerance” (62) the kids read books that deal with how stereotypes have affected the lives of people; they decide to make a “toast for change” (67) to stop stereotyping each other and spread awareness about accepting people for who they are no matter the person's color or race. Throughout the project, the students and Erin Gruwell work hard to invite some of these heroes and they take trips to museums such as the Holocaust Museum. Erin Gruwell then assigns her students Writing projects such as diary entries to help them reflect on their experiences. Performing these projects helps to transform the thinking of the teens  into realizing that they too can change the world, little by little. At the beginning these 150 students are without hope for a future but gradually, the kids --with the help of Erin Gruwell-- overcome their adversities and become “baptized [with the name] Freedom Writers”(270).  This story shows that we are not always alone, for there are people willing to help us if we would allow them. It also shows us that anything is possible even when you feel like the world is against you. These inspiring messages are big part of what contributed to making the book so enjoyable. Also, the need to know what happens to the kids make it a book that is hard to put down.

Erin Gruwell, the trusted mentor of the Freedom Writers, exists today as a unique teacher that has developed a curriculum to help kids across America facing the same problems as the Freedom Writers. She also gives motivational speeches and has founded the nonprofit organization, the  Freedom Writer’s Foundation. Erin constantly fights for the empowerment of each and every student and believes that all students need to be engaged in their education in order to motivate them. (Freedom Writers Outreach--Erin Gruwell). In this book she serves as an “angel” (62) and to the kids, she symbolized a hope for the future.  

I would recommend The Freedom Writers Diary to any mature audience willing to embark on an uplifting and thrilling journey. My purpose for  targeting this particular audience is because the beginning of the book contains some profane language; however,  don’t let this sidetrack you from the main goal of finishing the book. The interesting concept behind is that as you progress along, the use of profane language decreases to almost nothing. In this book, profanity is used as a symbol to illustrate the growth and maturity that the characters experience progressively. This book is not only projected towards teens but the message also applies to adults. English teachers, especially, may enjoy learning about the teaching style of Erin Gruwell.

My immense enjoyment of this book stems from both its writing style and organization. I have never encountered anything like it! The whole book is basically a series of different diary entries from the 150 students in Erin Gruwell’s classes. Diary entries permitted the use of less formal language, which established emotional connections with the reader as the reader experienced first hand view of the lives of the students. This effect was dampened a little by the anonymity of the diary entries, for instead of a name each diary was labeled with a number such as “Diary 29” (58); however, Erin Gruwell explains that  “ since their fears [of people finding out who they are] are legitimate, [she] [needs] to let them keep their anonymity” (140). Her explanation of their fears helps  readers understand the situation of these kids and we come to accept and love the characters even more.  

Despite the fact that we never learn the people associated with each entry,  the organization the diary entries was very effective in helping to follow the story.  The diary entries are organized in a chronological order from the freshman year of these students to their senior year. This makes the book unique, because throughout 271 pages you grow and experience four years of the lives of different students. Every student is different from another so it makes the book a collection of 150 stories each with a different viewpoint.  What I found most fascinating is that you may get several perspective on an event, which gives you a fuller image of what happened. For example when the students go to a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance, they meet several panelists; from Diary 20, I learned about the panelist “Mas Okui….[who was] forced into internment camps” (40); from Diary 21, I gained the viewpoint of one student that “of all the panelists, Renee’s story affected [her] the most” (42). This characteristic of the book of made it pleasant to read because of how each event was well rounded.

In the middle of the book there is an excerpt of pictures which make readers realize the truthfulness of what they are reading. As a reader, I was deeply affected by them, for even though I had been touched by the previous diary entries, the pictures jolted me into realizing the reality of the story. The entries after that transfixed me and before I realized it I had come to the end of my journey.

Everyone is different, so the message I obtained from this work of art may not be what you acquire when you read this book however know that there is a gift awaiting you at the end. After I ended my journey I thought that the book had traveled a long way, not only to show that “Silence will get you nowhere in life” (142) but also to tell you that it is possible to overcome stereotypes and the low expectations of others.

Work Cited

Erin Gruwell and Freedom Writers. The Freedom Writer's Diary. 2nd ed. New York: Broadway, 2007. Print.

Freedom Writers. "Freedom Writers Outreach--Erin Gruwell." Freedom Writers Foundation. Freedom Writers, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013.