After watching the movie, I decided I wanted to read the book. As always, there was so much more in the book. If you saw the movie, you will notice some liberties taken by the screenwriters. The Freedom Writers’s Diary begins with a chapter entitled “Freshman Year – Fall 1994”. It’s Erin Gruwell’s first year teaching English at Wilson High. She asks her students to keep journals. All of the journals in the book are numbered and anonymous. But these journals give you great insight as to what it was like to be a teen at Wilson High in Long Beach, California. It is an inspiring book.

If you like Go Ask Alice or books by Sonya Sones, you might enjoy reading this one.