The idea was deceptively simple: in seven short weeks, Open Books would help a cadre of talented middle school students from Chalmers School find their voices, and publish those voices into polished memoirs. During that time, we would also seek inspiration from Nikki Grimes’ Bronx Masquerade, a wonderful novel about a group of students who learn to accept each other through their writing.
You hold the result in your hands. The stories that populate this book are rich in detail, large in scope, and completely truthful. They are the stories of our students’ lives: what they love, who they admire, what they dream of becoming, lessons they have learned along the way. There is much wisdom in these pages, and much we can glean from their experience.