An occasional feature, "Law Library Staff Recommend..." highlights books that Law Library staff members have read for enjoyment and now recommend that others consider for inclusion on their own reading lists. If you have any comments or questions about any of the titles presented in this feature, feel free to email lawlib@umn.edu or stop by the library. Today we highlight Our Schools Suck: Students Talk Back to a Segregated Nation on the Failures of Urban Education by Alonso, Anderson, Su & Theoharis (NYU Press, 2009). Call number: Wilson Library LC 5131.O87 2009
Taking a closer look at how Brown vs. Board is being applied to modern urban schools, this book examines the stories of youth who are interested in a rigorous education, but are failing, through no fault of their own. Youth are finding a lack of commitment on the part of government and school administrators to finding resources to support the notion that anyone who wants a good school can have one. The book also criticizes the popular opinion that the opportunities found through Brown are being lost because minorities have developed a "culture of failure" and "cool pose culture." By sharing the point of view from youth, in their own words, this book goes beyond the typical sociological case study text and engages the reader, inviting an identification with the frustrations these youth are feeling in their quest for a better education and future.
A supplemental website is at http://www.ourschoolssuck.org/.
