Here is a summary of the book courtesy of The New York Times (via Chapters/Indigo)

Perhaps the most famous fifth-grade teacher in America, Rafe Esquith has won numerous awards and even honorary citizenship in the British Empire for his outstandingly successful methods. In his Los Angeles public school classroom, he helps impoverished immigrant children understand Shakespeare, play Vivaldi, and become happy, self-confident people. This bestseller gives any teacher or parent all the techniques, exercises, and innovations that have made its author an educational icon, from personal codes of behavior to tips on tackling literature and algebra. The result is a powerful book for anyone concerned about the future of our children.

Basically, this guy works tirelessly to help these kids learn and open their eyes to what is possible in this world. From teaching them guitar, to having a classic film club, to having a problem-solving Math club to using gym’s baseball practice to help them understand Math even better, he takes creativity and originality to the next level.

He puts everything into his work, working about 12 hours a day, and at one point taking 1-2 extra jobs in order to afford the extras such as class trips. How can someone have so much mission? So much heart? Is it because he is a teacher and he sees how much these kids need help? I did have a few very good teachers when I was growing up, but certainly no one was like this. Is it simply a kind of workaholism?

No matter what, it is pretty cool what can happen when you are passionate about what you do. You simply show up differently.

♥♥♥♥♥

Originally Posted on  Chapters/Indigo

This was not an easy book to read, but it was an important story to hear. As others have stated, there is some controversy over the veracity of Beah’s account from newspaper, “The Australian”. From doing a bit of research, it seems that there is no “smoking gun” saying that his accounts were a lie (everything is hearsay). You can see the Wiki here, and the author’s response to the accounts here. The story is so awful, I think a lot of us WANT to believe that it could never of happened on this earth.

So, assuming that everything was true, I found the book heart-wrenching. Being a teenager is so difficult – and to layer drugs and violence on top of it, seems unbearable. Since we are about the same age, his music references (such as Heavy D and the Boyz) made me remember what I was doing at the time, and how much simpler my life was. Family (relatively) in tact. A stable political situation. Nothing to worry about other than school and friends. This book reminds us all that these are gifts.

The book was set well – I felt like I was living in a world of chiefs, villages and wild animals. He was honest about his relationship with drugs and violence, and did not get overly moralistic about it.

One thing I wish the book had more of was some insight into the “why”. I would have liked to understand how he went from a boy soldier to a reformed one. It seemed like the switch at the UNICEF centre was completely binary, and from what I understand of the human heart, things don’t play out like that. It is also a bit of a Cinderella story at the end, and I wish he discussed if there were any aftershock effects of living the life he did for so many years – such as if the drugs had long-term effects. Or, if he was numb to violence or super-sensitive based on how he lived. Or if he missed his homeland or despised it.

Overall, I would recommend this book. I think in the Western world we like to place war in the past or somewhere far away. A book like this reminds us of all of the awful things that war brings… to people that don’t deserve to be forgotten.

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Here is a list of best books with their categories that I read this year. The synopses of the books are available through the links, so I have simply added my subjective opinions in the form of pros and cons. I hope that you will enjoy these to add to your balanced diet in 2007.

The Long Tail
Author: Chris Anderson
Category: Business 
Pro: Helped me see niche markets everywhere and reinvigorated my enthusiasm for our modern, connected world 
Con: It got repetitive at times and the idea is too new to have much credible economic research behind it 

Getting to Yes
Author: Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, Bruce Patton
Category: How To
Pro: Made me argue against the truth behind my opponent’s argument, instead of simply fighting over their official position 
Con: There is not much wrong with this book – it delivered what it promised 

Shambhala: Sacred Path of the Warrior
Author: Chogyam Trungpa
Category: Spirituality
Pro: Rinpoche a Tibetan who went to Oxford University – he has huge credibility and has a sense of humor as well 
Con: The title and cover art make it look like it is a cult handbook and the prose is sometimes awkwardly written 

Female Chauvinist Pigs
Author: Ariel Levy 
Category: Women’s Studies
Pro: A very interesting take on women in a cultural phenomena written in a very palatable form
Con: It takes some things that are not important too seriously does not lie on a solid foundation of research 

Self Esteem
Author: Matthew McKay, Patrick Fanning   
Category: Personal Development 
Pro: The exercises are straightforward and it helped me work through some personal blocks in a painless way   
Con: It has a chapter on hypnotism which seems out of place

Hey Nostradamus!
Author: Douglas Coupland
Category: Fiction
Pro: Very creative, thoughtful and full of surprises
Con: Sometimes the light treatment of such a serious subject made me feel uneasy