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Subtitled “The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City Students”, Corwin’s book was meant to be a response to California voting to end affirmative action in college admissions. The students are all minorities from LA’s notorious South-Central neighborhood and members Crenshaw High School’s class of 1997 or 1998. Each student faces a myriad of problems — poverty, abandonment, abuse, illegal drugs, teen pregnancy, and gang violence — as they drag themselves to AP English class every morning.
Unlike other books about inner-city students, this book does not champion the efforts of wide-eyed, naive teachers who come into the inner-city and change the lives of their students. Not to disparage those teachers, but the two teachers profiled in this book are distracted by feuds with administrators and each other, which helps put the trials and triumphs of these students on a greater pedestal. One of the conflicts between the two teachers is over the curriculum; the twelfth-grade teacher wants the eleventh-grade teacher to stop teaching books by black authors and focus on the classics.
“We study some great, white authors, but children of color need to know there are great writers who look like them. They need to see our history is not just one of despair and slavery and entrapment and chains. They need to take pride in their culture. They need to gain inspiration in seeing a history of greatness in the African American writers. Some of these writers, like my students, came from impoverish backgrounds. They can be role models.” (pg. 85)
The book’s argument for affirmative action is often times pushed aside to introduce more students, explain their background, or follow a tangent about which literature by which authors should be taught. Eva of A Striped Armchair put up an interesting post on the concept of privilege just as I was halfway through this book. The information she provides also helped illuminate the points Corwin was trying to make in his book.
Does Corwin make a successful argument for affirmative action? It may not have been the strongest argument due to him following tangents left and right, but it certainly added to my knowledge of the argument for (and against) affirmative action.
I do have one minor point of contention that has stuck with me long after I finished the book. Corwin mistakenly refers to Clark University when he actually means Clark College in Atlanta. Normally not a major issue, but he’s talking about how Clark College failed to provide the student in question with enough scholarship money to leave the neighborhood and, therefore, doesn’t paint the college in the greatest light. I just feel like he should criticize the right university.
Book Mentioned:
- Corwin, Miles. And Still We Rise: The Trials and Triumphs of Twelve Gifted Inner-City Students. New York: Perennial, 2001. Originally published 2000. Print. 420 pgs. ISBN: 0380798298. Source: Borrowed from my mom.
Jacobs and Hyman actually sent a copy of this book to my mother for her to review on her blog, but since I’m the one actually headed to college I picked up the book a read the whole thing in our drive across Wyoming. The first few chapters are pretty chatty, and there were times when I felt like the professors were repetitive and talking in circles. However, once the book moves onto what to do the first week of classes and how to speak to a professor when a particular problem arises, I could not stop thanking this book for being in existence. For example, Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College spouts off handy information like:
- Your hand should never stop moving during class, but it especially shouldn’t stop when the professor is going over the syllabus.
- Use the first week to access whether you should drop a class or not. Waiting until after the first week makes it impossible for you to sign up for another course and even if you can, you’ll have missed the professor going over the syllabus, which is absolutely necessary for success.
- Although I already knew not to say “Did I miss anything important in class last week?” from high school, I loved how the professors tell you how to phrase this question so it is (a) not offensive, (b) gets the professor to overlook your absence, and (c) helps you get all the information you missed (and then some).
I found the information from “visiting professors” (i.e. someone not Jacobs and Hyman) extremely helpful because it backed up what Jacobs and Hyman said about how to approach a situation. I was originally worried that maybe their information only pertained to their own classes, but it was great to read of other professors who do almost the exact same thing.
The book is broken into five parts — The Start, The Class, The Exam, The Paper, and The Last Month — but I didn’t really think “The Paper” offered very much new information. I could see how this section would be helpful to those who are scared of writing papers, but I felt like it didn’t offer me any new information. “The Last Month” is a section I plan to go back and read as I get closer to the end of the semester. The information felt so unnecessary right now since I’m still at “The Start” and on the cusp of starting “The Class.”
All in all, I think freshman would be less stressed and less confused if they had a copy of Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College. It’s a very helpful book that really calmed some of my fears about college.
Others’ Thoughts:
- The College Counselor for Gifted Kids (aka my mom)
Book Mentioned:
- Jacobs, Lynn F., and Jeremy S. Hyman. Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College. New York: Collins, ARC. Print. 368 pgs. ISBN: 9780060879082. Source: Review copy.
Been There, Should’ve Done That is a small flip book filled with quotes from college students from across the country at small colleges and large universities about the secrets they’ve learned to stay afloat — and succeed — in college. Some of it is common sense such as go to class, suck up to your professors, and study, study, study. But some of these insights are things I never would have considered, and the majority are phrased in a way that makes them laugh out loud funny.
“The good news is having a printer. The bad news is everyone knowing you have it. It’s like living in a Kinko’s annex.” (pg. 13)
This would make a pretty good gift for a college-bound senior; I know I’m planning on including it in graduation gifts for friends.
Book Mentioned:
- Tyler, Suzette. Been There, Should’ve Done That: 505 Tips for Making the Most of College. Haslett, Mich.: Front Porch, 1997. Print. 215 pgs. ISBN: 9780965608640
Book Cover © Front Porch Press.
How do I figure out what carer I’d truly love? How do I pick the best major for me? How do I get and stay motivated? What are some shortcuts to success? How do I get past the fears that hold me back? What will give me a competitive edge?
To be honest, the information Combs provides in his book was all common sense to me. The book instructs you to (a) go to college, (b) figure out what you love, and (c) do it. I appreciated the interesting quotes and “hot tips” in the margins and the comics used to highlight a point or just for laughs.
I feel like this would be a good book for students who aren’t excited about going to college. It could probably provide the inspiration they need in order to success. However, as someone who is counting down the days until she starts college, there’s not much this book could tell me that I didn’t already know.
A lot of common sense. A couple of laughs. A few inspirational points.
Book Mentioned:
- Combs, Patrick. Major In Success: Make College Easier, Fire Up Your Dreams, and Get a Very Cool Job. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2003. Print. 170 pgs. ISBN: Source: Borrowed from my mom.
Subtitled “Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game”, Proctor’s book is very informative, and I’d recommend students — and parents — read it before students start high school. The book emphasize how to separate yourself from others, an idea that’s ultimately difficult to do when faced with the question of “how are you a good fit for _____________?”
But, I’m hesitant to suggest that every college student read The College Hook because without my own internship, the book would have made me feel like a complete failure. My interest in photography pales in comparison to that of Josh, the first student Proctor helps find his hook. After all, he interned with “a nationally famous portrait photographer, assisting him on shoots and around his studio.” Although, I have to wonder how Josh didn’t know that was his “hook.” The kid did, supposedly, set up a darkroom in his basement.
And I’m a big believer that students should not focus on one aspect of themselves just to “hook” a college. I complain a lot about one-dimensional characters, and to present myself just as the journalist or just as the reader would not show off who I am.
Still, The College Hook is well-organized, well-written book full of useful tips for every applicant to college.
Book Mentioned:
- Proctor, Pam. The College Hook: Packaging Yourself to Win the College Admissions Game. 2007. Nashville, TN: Center Street, 2007. Print. 239 pgs. ISBN: 1931722811. Source: Borrowed from my mom.
