The Freedom Writers Diary - Erin Gruwell [0]
Title Page
Dedication
Foreword by Zlata Filipovic
FRESHMAN YEAR—FALL 1994
I. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
First day of school
Racial segregation at school
Getting “jumped”
Race riot on campus
Buying a gun
Death of a friend
Gang initiation
“Rushing” a sorority
Tagging
Proposition 187: Discrimination
Dyslexia
Juvenile hall
The projects
Russian roulette
FRESHMAN YEAR—SPRING 1995
II. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
Romeo and Juliet: Gang rivalry
Teenage love and running away
Coping with weight
Learning about diversity
Oklahoma bombing
Farewell to Manzanar: Japanese internment camps
Overcoming adversity panel
John Tu: Father figure vs. absent father
Freshman turnaround
SOPHOMORE YEAR—FALL 1995
III. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
Homelessness
Cystic fibrosis
Shyness
Twelve Angry Men
Honors English
Medieval Times
Lesson on tolerance
Toast for change
Change for the better
Testifying in murder case
Teenage alcoholism
Shoplifting
Anne Frank’s diary
Teen diarists
Zlata’s DiaryBosnia vs. L.A. riots
Peter Maass: Article on Bosnia
Zlata
SOPHOMORE YEAR—SPRING 1996
A Letter to Zlata
IV. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
Meeting a Holocaust survivor
The woman who sheltered Anne Frank’s family
“Moment”
Zlata accepts our invitation
Dinner with Zlata
Diverse friendships
“I am a human being”
Terrorism
Day of tolerance: A field trip
Doing speed
Basketball for Bosnia: Weight
Zlata’s Letter
Divorce
Friends join class
Letter from Miep
PHOTO INSERT
JUNIOR YEAR—FALL 1996
V. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
Racist teacher
A grandmother’s death
Race riot
Grade accountability
Suicide
Running away
Getting a job
Misogyny
Molestation
Boyfriend abuse
Domestic violence
Child abuse
Death of brother
JUNIOR YEAR—SPRING 1997
VI. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
Anne Frank’s friends visit
Masking fears
Living in the projects
Dyslexia
Letter from Miep
Student editing
Abortion
Catalysts for change
Freedom Riders
An American DiaryVoices from an Undeclared War
Fund-raiser concert
Freedom Writer poem
Freedom Writers unite
Strict father
Arlington Cemetery
Lincoln Memorial: Freedom Writers have a dream
Covering up the swastika
Hate crimes
Holocaust Museum
Dr. Mengele’s experiment with twins
Dinner with Secretary Riley
“Stand”
Secretary Riley receives Freedom Writers’ diary
Candlelight vigil
Departing D.C.
Returning a family hero
Jeremy Strohmeyer: Murder
David Cash
Peace march for Sherrice Iverson
Senior Class President
Separation anxiety
Staying together
SENIOR YEAR—FALL 1997
VII. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
Cheryl Best: Inspiration
“Eviction Notice”
Financial problems
Illegal immigrant
The first Latina Secretary of Education
Pursuing filmmaking
Road not taken: Contemplating college
Finding a mentor
Being a mentor
Los Angeles Times article
A letter from prison
Deadbeat dad
Sorority hazing
Fear of losing a father
Death of a mother
SENIOR YEAR—SPRING 1998
VIII. Ms. GRUWELL’S DIARY ENTRY
GUESS? sponsorship
Spirit of Anne Frank Award
New York City roommates
Celebrating Anne Frank
Abuse of power
Peter Maass: The role of a journalist
Book agent
Getting published
Basketball playoffs: Teamwork
A lesson from Animal Farm
Attitude adjustment
Introducing Senator Barbara Boxer
Attention deficit disorder
Homosexuality
Prom queen
“Whoever saves one life saves the world entire”
Breaking the cycle
Football all-American
Baseball dilemma
A college acceptance
Fear of abandonment
Teenage pregnancy
Southwest Airlines
Computers for college!
The giving tree: Crackhead parents
Graduation Class Speaker
From drugs to honors
Overcoming the odds
Graduation!
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Preview of Teach with Your Heart
Also by Erin Gruwell
Copyright
To our incredible teacher Ms. Gruwell,
Who taught us to believe in ourselves
To Anne Frank,
Who inspired us to write
To Zlata, our friend,
Who passed us the torch
To our beloved Miep,
Who recognized the hero in each of us
To the Freedom Riders,
Who paved the way
And,