As an idealistic twenty-three-year-old English teacher at Wilson High School in Long Beach, California, Erin Gruwell confronted a room of at-risk students who had been deemed "unteachable." Refusing to believe that any student was beyond help, Gruwell undertook a life-changing, eye-opening, spirit-raising odyssey against intolerance and misunderstanding. Spurred on by a racist caricature that led to the stunning realization that none of her students had heard of the Holocaust, Gruwell completely upended her planned curriculum, focusing instead on helping her kids see the parallels between their reading and their own lives. Inspired by their response to Anne Frank's diary, her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries and dubbing themselves the Freedom Writers.

With powerful entries from the students' own journals and a narrative text by Gruwell, THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY is an uplifting, unforgettable example of how hard work, courage, and the spirit of determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. And with all-new material to celebrate the book's 20th anniversary, providing readers with updates on the students' lives, from heartrending stories of immigration and the #MeToo movement to inspiring journeys that led so many of them to become the first in their families to attend college -- and some to obtain their PhDs -- the new edition continues a decades-long legacy of opening hearts and changing minds.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER .The twentieth anniversary edition of the classic story of an incredible group of students and the teacher who inspired them, featuring updates on the students' lives, new journal entries, and an introduction by Erin Gruwell

Now a public television documentary,Freedom Writers- Stories from the Heart

In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach, California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of "unteachable, at-risk" students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks-none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank's diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding. Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the "Freedom Writers."

Consisting of powerful entries from the students' diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell,The Freedom Writers Diaryis an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. In the two decades since its original publication, the book has sold more than one million copies and inspired a major motion pictureFreedom Writers. And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers, as they blend indispensable takes on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college-and watch their own children follow in their footsteps.The Freedom Writers Diaryremains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances.