Learning in Public

By Courtney Martin,

Book cover of Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter's School

Book description

From the time Courtney E. Martin strapped her daughter, Maya, to her chest for long walks, she was curious about Emerson Elementary, a public school down the street from her Oakland home. She learned that White families in their gentrifying neighborhood largely avoided the majority-Black, poorly-rated school. As she began…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Learning in Public as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I have fourteen sticky tabs marking memorable passages (I just double-checked), along with countless highlights and underlines.

With wit and unvarnished honesty, Martin tells her family’s story about educating her daughters at a racially integrated neighborhood public school. She confronts her mistakes along the way and does not present herself as the hero but rather illuminates how drawing near to difference has the power to make all of us healthier.

Part journalism, part personal narrative, I devoured this book. 

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