Uncertain Lives: Children of Hope, Teachers of Promise

This book will truly tug at your heart. Bullough has crafted a very nice framework around several classrooms and the lives of the kids that make them up. The children have stories of physical abuse, growing up without one or both parents, surviving with little or nothing to eat, and living with and among drug users. Many of these kids have had to grow up to adulthood within the span of their eight to ten years of life. The situations that many of these kids have to live in would be enough to crush anyone's spirits. Yet many of them have soaring attitudes and the perseverance to see themselves through -- beacons of hope in the gloom. Well-written, heart-rending and uplifting at the same time, and definitely worth reading.

Have you ever read a book you wanted your friends to have already read so you could talk about it with them? This is one of those books. As teacher and teacher educator, I found in the lives of these children echoes of the lives of children and teachers I have taught. Robert Bullough's layered analysis gives entry into the worlds of these children without being titilating or depressing. His analysis articulates the issues of poverty, father absence, drug abuse that teachers deal with. In this way, he connects these stories,34 children's stories, to the larger issues confronting schools and society. More importantly I valued his respectful tone--his book communicates hope and respect for teachers, parents and most importantly these wonderful children whose lives are uncertain. His analysis helps each of us see ways we might make a difference in the uncertain lives of child in our own communities and shools.