The Freedom Writers Diary

Think poverty, war and passion.

The Freedom Writers Diary is a captivating read which oozes emotion and knowledge from the foreword to the acknowledgements. These teenage authors understand what it is like to live in poverty, fight war from the moment their feet hit the pavements and show passion for their families and cultures everyday of their lives in ways that are most undesirable for survival. The fact that it is a true story gives you food for thought each time you turn a page – for each time you enter a personal account it makes you grateful for the life you lead. From race riots to personal distresses I feel it is a perfect time to express my thoughts on this book due to recent events – the big difference is, these teens have bigger burdens on their shoulders and an awful lot more to protest about, most importantly – their reasons for lashing out are somewhat more compelling.

Once you read through all diary entries you learn more about the troubled teens and learn that some appear more than once in the book. Their stories are so intense and personal it is understandable that each diary is anonymous – after all – everything you read is a true account of each person’s life. It is difficult not to empathise and shed a tear while reading their stories. It is not everyday we get a sneak peak at someone’s private life. The saying actions speak louder than words is a very important statement which the teenagers understand but when you read on, the words are so powerful they echo for miles and leap out from page to page.

Rape, drug addictions, abortion and homelessness are just few of many widespread issues that these young boys and girls face – but when they leave their homes they all face the same issue – fighting for survival in a heated race war.

It takes the will, patience and determination of one woman to bring these teens closer together, stamp out all ignorance and help them in making the transition from boy to gentleman and girl to lady. Erin Gruwell made history in Long Beach, California by turning a bunch of unruly, stubborn teens into successful graduates - introducing them to the Holocaust and the book, ‘Anne Frank: A Diary of a Young Girl’ inspired them to read more and relate to the brave heroes who they soon fell in love with rather than the heroes who spin webs and fly from building to building in red capes. REAL heroes became more important.

Her scheme – ‘A Toast for Change’ motivates the students to put a stop to racial violence and poverty – instead their passion is devoted to changing for the better - to make a better world for the next generation of children.

The teens grew as adults, Erin Gruwell grew as a teacher and I grew as a reader and a person when I finished reading this epic diary.

“If you could live an eternity and not change a thing or exist for a blink of an eye and alter everything, what would you choose?” – Erin Gruwell

I know what I would choose…what would you choose?

The Freedom Writers film is on tonight - Film4 at 18:40 and Film4 +1 at 19:40 - Watch and Be Inspired!

The Freedom Writers Diary