Genre: Humor/Memoir
Description:
“These students aren’t just bad, they’re dangerous. And then there’s
the principal.
For Los Angeles teacher Eric Riley, summers off, holidays, and health
benefits are all that matters. Why else get into teaching in your forties? With
a wife and two young daughters, and a mountain of debt after suffering a broken
leg, teaching represents a steady paycheck and time off he’s never experienced.
Riley survives his rookie year as a teacher, only to be assigned a
class with a special designation: Emotionally Disturbed. He starts the new
position, after taking a mandatory training session on the latest approved
methods of physical restraint – the delicate name for self-defense when dealing
with violent students.
One day, a student attacks Riley – and Riley puts him down hard on the
floor. The school principal orders Riley to be placed on administrative leave.
During a series of preliminary hearings regarding his status, he realizes that
the official version of the incident is changing. When his union and legal
representatives appear to be incompetent, he secretly contacts staff members at
his school. They break into an administrator’s office and uncover statements
and records regarding his suspension that implicate the principal, the
district, and even the teachers’ union.
From classic teaching moments to administrator run-ins to a district
boardroom showdown, one teacher finds out what he’s good at.”
Author:
“James Eric Riley grew up near the rust belt town of Mt. Pleasant,
Pennsylvania. He attended Eastern Kentucky University and graduated with a
degree in Theater Arts. After years of summer stock and regional theater, he
and his wife moved to Southern California where they discovered snow skiing and
- for Riley - speed skating. But after breaking a leg in a short track
competition, teaching suddenly seemed like a better idea. As a high-school
teacher, he finally put his theater background to use teaching public speaking
and writing and directing a one-act version of Macbeth performed by students
and faculty. Now retired, he and his wife Jeneva live in Independence,
Kentucky.”
Appraisal:
As I read this I struggled with just how true it was. The author was a
teacher. The book is described in the materials I received with the copy I
reviewed as a novel with humor or dark humor as the genre. That’s seems a clear
indication of it being fiction. But then just before the book’s prologue starts
I see the page with these words
******
This is a memoir. Everything you are
about to read is true.
Names have been changed to protect the
guilty and to ensure the anonymity of the innocent.
******
Hmm. Then I look more closely at the cover and realize that on the school
building pictured, just to the left of the door, it says “A Memoir.” So maybe
it is true, but all the ”characters” are made anonymous. I guess I can’t say
what the answer is for sure.
What I can say for sure is that while there
were times that I was stretching my ability to suspend disbelief, I mostly
managed to do so. It was an adventure to read and certainly helped me
appreciate teachers even more than I already did. How things were going to turn
out for Eric, the protagonist of the … whatever it is … was constantly up in
the air and kept me engaged and eager to find out how the story ended.
Certainly a good, engaging read.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
FYI:
Some adult language.
Format/Typo
Issues:
Review is based on an advance reviewer copy so I can’t gauge the final
product in this area.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 65-70,000 words
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