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FREEDOM WRITERS

Reviewed by Madelyn Miller, the TravelLady

Once upon a time, I thought I wanted to be a teacher. But after a semester of making felt puppets and writing lesson plans, I realized I would rather just write—rather than trying to inspire others to write.

I was not as committed or as dedicated as Erin Gruwell, the character Hillary Swank played in Freedom Writers.

I invited my daughter to the screening of this film and she was as eager to see it as I was. A movie with Hillary Swank and Patrick Dempsey is bound to be worth seeing. And we were not disappointed.

My daughter’s response was that anyone who would leave Patrick Dempsey at home so she could work three jobs ought to be committed.

She was right about the commitment part.

Gruwell’s commitment to her class in the fact of many obstacles is inspiring. And it made me wonder if there were more teachers like her, what a different world we might live in.

FREEDOM WRITERS is inspired by a true story and diaries of real Long Beach teenagers after the LA riots, during the worst outbreak of interracial gang warfare.  Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank stars as Erin Gruwell, whose passion to become a teacher is soon challenged by a group of Black, Latino, and Asian gang bangers who hate her even more than each other.

When Erin begins to listen to them in a way no adult has ever done, she begins to understand that for these kids, getting through the day alive is enough—they are not delinquents but teenagers fighting “a war of the streets” that began long before they were born. Erin gives them something they never had from a teacher before—respect. For the first time, these teens experience a hope that maybe, they might be able to show the world that their lives matter and they have something to say.

Madelyn Miller is a travel and food writer who loves eating buttered popcorn while watching movies. You can read her reviews on www.travellady.com and see her other stories on www.chocolateatlas.com, www.cocktailatlas.com, www.teaAtlas.com, and www.carladynews.com

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