Miranda Schuhle

Secondary English Methods Education

Professor Meg Goldner Rabinowitz
Writing Assignment #2
Due 9/29/2015
Amazing Influence
I believe that an influential book is much more than just the tangible item. I think an
influential book has to be looked at within the lens of the reader and what that reader is
experiencing in the point in time they are reading the book. I see an influential book as part of a
greater experience that alters ones life decisions in some way.
A book that influenced my life choices is Amazing Grace by Jonathan Kozol. Kozol
opened my eyes to an area of our country that I did not even know existed. When I was reading
the book I was encountering a transformational period of my life. I was learning what white
privilege was, and what being a member of middle class actually meant. I was learning there
were so many greater issues in the world than the small realm I lived in. I was learning what the
power of education actually could do, and I was exposed to the systematic educational inequity
that is so prominent in our country. I was taking a diversity in education course with a
professor who is the most amazing educator I aspire to be like. One of the texts we were required
to read was Amazing Grace. I expected a book about an inspirational story of an amazing teacher
changing students lives, but was so wrong.
Because I read Kozols book at this specific time in my life, I was so deeply absorbed
with so many different emotions while reading it. I felt angry that a place like this existed, and
instead of doing something about it, the government literally dumped toxic waste there. I felt
guilty for not knowing anything about what segregation and poverty actually looked like. I felt
even more guilt for not taking advantage nor being grateful for the quality education I received,
when there were kids who couldnt receive an education of any value no matter how badly they
wanted to learn. Finally, I felt an urgency and absolute need to do something about it. If I was
going to spend the rest of my life as just a teacher, I swore to dedicate my life to giving it my
all to do whatever I could about educational inequity.
If I used Forsters definition, I could see myself as an author of a book like Kozols. The
ingenious behind the book lies in just a human going somewhere he was unfamiliar with. He
helped create a picture of a neighborhood by interviewing local people and learning about their
experiences. Jonathan Kozol wrote a non-fiction text documenting interviews and the
relationships he built with residents of the South Bronx in New York City. He wrote about what
life looks like past 60th street in the Bronx and about some shared experiences people had who
lived there. His book described the tremendous frequency of violence and drug addiction that has
overtaken poverty-stricken neighborhoods. He described how systematic racism and classism
caused segregation, inadequate healthcare, and schools where learning was non-existent.
Through his investigative narrative he shows the reader the most incredible individuals. I could
write a book highlighting the amazing accomplishments of my students and describe the
adversity they overcome. However, the point I am in my life is much different than when I read
this book.
The point of life I was at and the experiences I was having in real life impacted the way
I read Amazing Grace and the way it impacted me. Proof of how this influential book impacted

based upon my life experiences at that moment is time can be shown in my mothers reaction to
when she read the book. She said it was sad and depressing and that she did not want to read a
book like that again. It did not encourage her to do anything nor influence her in a moving way.
It was like it was a totally different book that we were reading.