Class Dismissed: A Year in the Life of an American High School, a Glimpse Into the Heart of a Nation

by Meredith Maran

Book Overview

Class Dismissed takes us inside California's Berkeley High, one of the most ethnically diverse high schools in the country. For one year, author and journalist Meredith Maran reported on the lives of three different but representative students from the Class of 2000: a troubled yet well-meaning young white man from an affluent family, a highly gifted and academically overachieving young woman from a biracial background, and a functionally illiterate...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312283091
• ISBN13: 9780312283094
• Release Date: September 2001
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

A Depressing, but Informative Book!

I read this book for an education class and it was well worthwhile. It was written nicely and portrays the lives of three students at Berkeley High School. Amidst continual arsons, each student tries to make his or her way through the grueling senior year, dealing with their own issues as well as the school's. You really feel like you begin to understand each student's complications and troubles throughout the book. Definitely recommended for anyone interested in Education.

Don't Dismiss This Book

As a mother of two High Schoolers, I found Maran's book an accurate and moving portrayal of the complex lives my kids share with those at Berkeley High. She captures the drama of the small and large events and has translated that into an extremely readable, charming and captivating book. A great read. I recommend it to teachers, parents, students and legislators- everyone has a lot to gain from reading this beautifully written and heartfelt work.

A fascinating look at teens, race, schools

This is an intimate, troubling portrait of three teens and their troubled school. For me, two things saved it from being just plain depressing: 1) the resilience of these teenagers, and 2) the author. Maran writes so skillfully - like a novelist, anthropologist, AND journalist - that these stories come alive. She LISTENS to these kids, and also deftly weaves in a broader context to help readers understand the good, bad, and ugly situation in public schools today. Highly recommended for anyone who cares about kids, education, or racism.

wow i go here

good book, but kinda strange cause i go to this high school. Very accurate and a good read.

A Great Read for Educators

Meredith Maran has the rare ability to take us right into the heart of an urban high school community and to give voice to its students and teachers. Class Dismissed shows us the devasting impact of a large school on the lives of kids in crisis. It goes where a lot of books on education won't go--eg. into the complex issues of race as experienced by a school community struggling to survive and change. It compels us to rethink the whole way high schools are structured and cultured. A great read for educators, parents, policy makers and school activists.