Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. A memoir of race, inequality and the power of literature told through the life-changing friendship between an idealistic young teacher and her gifted student who was jailed for murder in the Mississippi Delta. Finely written in the very best tradition of American long-form narrative, Reading with Patrick is a story of hope, redemption and the power of books to transform - and even to save - a life. And that's when Michelle decided that her work was not done, and began to visit Patrick once a week, and soon every day, to read with him again. Two years later, Michelle left to go to law school but Patrick began to lose his way, killing a man and facing a lengthy jail sentence.

For the first time, these kids began to engage with ideas and dreams beyond their small town, and to gain an insight into themselves that they had never had before. As a young English teacher keen to make a difference in the world, Michelle Kuo took a job at a tough school in the Mississippi Delta, sharing books and poetry with a young African-American teenager named Patrick and his classmates. ( O, the Oprah Magazine) Book Description:īook Description Paperback. Reading with Patrick is a significant work that could swell the ranks of highly motivated and qualified teachers―people who understand they are not just transferring information but transforming lives (Bill Moyers) I delighted in this book and read it in a single weekend.

(Elliot Holt, author of You Are One of Them)Ī gorgeous, urgent and heartbreaking memoir.

It is hard to imagine a more inspiring testament to the transformative power of reading. An empathetic story of connection: between a dedicated teacher and her student, between history and our current times, and between literature and life. (Wes Moore, author of The Other Wes Moore) An absorbing, tender, and surprisingly honest examination of race and privilege. This book is special and could not be more right on time. Thoughtfully provocative reading.' ( Kirkus Reviews) 'Honest, thoughtful, and humane, Kuo’s book is not only a testament to a remarkable friendship, but a must-read for anyone interested in social justice and race in America. (Claire Messud, author of The Emperor’s Children and The Woman Upstairs) Honest, generous, humble and wise, Reading with Patrick will endure as a defining story for our times, and, abidingly, a testament to the power of language and of books. Reading with Patrick Michelle Kuo's rich memoir of her literary friendship with a student in a small town in the Mississippi Delta ( TLS)

Reading with patrick by michelle kuo