Read Or Die

Book excerpt: "I look forward to the day I see yellow caution tape stretched around my students' neighborhoods, the chalk outline of apathy on the ground, crushed by the weight of a thousand books. Until then I treat each day as if books are EpiPens and every student has a shellfish allergy with a mouth full of shrimp." Most of the students in Daphne Russell's reading class have never read an entire book, and they can’t relate to Harry Potter and his magic wand. Abel is twenty-eight days behind everyone else and he needs enough books inside him to get his lungs to work again, mend his shattered heart, and kick the shit out of apathy. In her memoir Read or Die, Russell documents her daily battle as a middle school teacher in Tucson, Arizona, fighting against predetermined trajectories of less-than beliefs with an arsenal of hard covers and tattered pages. A talented and caring teacher, Russell offers a moving portrayal that combines rich autobiographical details with firsthand insight into the world of education. Read or Die is not only a compelling story, but also offers revealing and meaningful insights into education in America from a seasoned insider.