This book really says it like it is. Even though written decades ago, the basic tenets it lays out regarding schools and life within them still ring true.

James Herndon is a top notch writer and a notable explorer in the field of education. He is one of my heroes.

Great storytelling is great teaching, and James Herndon is both great teacher and grand storyteller. Though educational theory may have shifted, Herndon's stories about his students are indelible--brimming with humor, love and respect.

The beauty of Herndon's work is that he is both a wonderful writer (he is featured as one of the better writers of nonfiction in William Zinsser's classic _On Writing Well_) and an astute observer of his own and his children's actions. How to Survive presents him at his finest, discussing not how to teach (he almost never does this) but what teaching and learning are like. He does this with humor, honesty, and an edge. No teacher, reading this book, can come away without a more thoughtful consideration of his or her own teaching. It is stunning and does not deserve to have been forgotten in the way that it has.

Junior High's a crazy place. James Herndon made me see that craziness clearly, since he tells it like it is. The conflict he dramatizes- between the kids' interests and possibilities for learning on the one hand and the administrators' desire for order-- is real today, too. Today's administrators call it "data-based decisionmaking" and "scientifically-measured results" but it still just means order-- a number next to every kid's name (now, they call it "progress towards standards" instead of IQ, and make a colorful bar graph out of it) that tells you who's better than who.
The world will be a better place if you do what Herndon did, but you'll get fired just as fast now as then.
This book makes clear that you don't need anyone to believe literally in racism in order to perpetuate a racist society.
All you need is to make conformity to white culture the sole entryway to all achievement, respect, income, and education, and then punish all those who fail to conform by putting them in the basement.
All you need is to establish the teacher's role as a manager of papers and people rather than as an educator.
All you need is to believe that we are test-takers first and human beings last.
All you need to is to put 1,500 youngsters in one brick building and expect all of them to toe the line.

Herndon wrote in a moment when America thought that its institutions could be healed, that its oppressions could be undone. Now, everyone thinks that the institutions would be fine, except that Somebody (terrorists, Republicans, homosexuals, rich people, poor people) has sat in a closed room somewhere and figured out how to sabotage them. HErndon reminds us that we have done it to ourselves.

This book has always rung true for me. The author seems to be to be an honest and observant man. That the picture of children on the paper mural painted by the all-black students is done in bright white paint, that the children are obsessed with their tennis shoes and drop themselves backwards onto the floor when frustrated, that students learn very little in school, and what they do learn are often lessons that are unintended and inconsistent with the school's purported objectives, that the protagonist's best friend is a lascivious racist, and that doing what you can, with what you have, to do what you think is best by the students will get you fired, all of these were consistent with my experience, and led me to trust the author, and made me willing to try to learn from him.
Other books in this honest, subversive vein are: The Student as N****r by Jerry Farber, John Holt's books, especially How Children Learn, How Children Fail and Escape from Childhood, (I notice that the editor of this edition of Herndon's book is also editing at least one of Holt's books.), and Teaching as a Subversive Activity by Postman and Weingartner.
This kind of book needs a corrective- one of Neil Postman's later books was called Teaching as a Conserving Activity, which is a good choice, also The Irrelevant English Teacher by Josiah Mitchell Morse and Decadence and Renewal in the Higher Learning by Russell Kirk.

The author writes of his first year teaching, which happens to be in a 98% black urban junior high school. I found this book captivating and could not put it down. It is a quick and easy read although its' contents will keep you thinking for a long time.

The author begins with his first day of school and takes us through the end of the school year at which time he is fired for being incompetent in the eyes of the administrators and other teachers. Chapters are written almost as short essays on a single topic, moving through the school year. Herndon introduces us to his 7th and 8th grade students with humor and sincerity. Many of these children, to my horror and amazement, can't even read their own names let alone anything else. Herndon discusses what school policies are and how other teachers "control" the class by restricting their movement and even in one case, not allowing the children to utter one word to the teacher during class. Absurdities in school policy and administration come through to me very clearly as I read these stories. The style of writing is one of storytelling rather than a book discussing why school reform is needed, but you will clearly come to your own realizations of what the problems are by simply reading these stories.

Half way through the school year, Herndon decides to do whatever it takes to get these children to learn. In some cases he comes up with innovative teaching methods and in other cases he allows the students to find their own way of doing things, and guess, what? Learning happens! Success! Well, the success is in the eyes of the students and in the eyes of this schoolteacher (not in the eyes of the administration). There is mutual respect between students and teacher but the other teachers and administrators think Herndon is an incompetent and that his students are out of control, so they fire him.

I figured out the year was 1959, but this could just as well take place today. Herndon's epilogue, written six years after this year of teaching, is brilliant. This is a short book and an easy read. As you read it your mind will be reeling with emotions and ideas about public/government schooling and who are they really serving?

I remember reading, and rereading, this book as a child. Growing up in Kentucky, I can relate to the rural aspects of the book. The story is timeless and timely in the world today. Jesse Stuart will remain forever in my heart and the hearts of grown children everywhere who read his works an example of what goodness can come from writing for children.

In "A Penny's Worth of Character" Jesse Stuart takes the reader back to a simpler time, when a boy could exchange used paper bags for a candy bar at the store. The message of the book is as old, that of honesty. Stuart skillfully illustrates the inner turmoil of a young boy who has been dishonest and how he makes it right. It's an excellent book for kids from 4th grade up and would make an excellent story to read aloud.

A story that I've never forgotten in 50 years of reading. I've searched for a copy of it for 40+ years. Any one, young or old, who readys this simple story will be changed forever...unless they are the most callous individual alive

The book, The Beatinest Boy is about a boy named David who went up on a mountain one day and found a coon puppy in a hollow log that had the mange. In the book, The Beatinest Boy, it is a real setting because it had mountains and flowers and grass. David, Grandma Beverly, and Boliver were believable characters because David had decisions to make like real people and he likes to coon hunt and real people like to coon hunt. Daid was a likable person because he was cheerful and he liked to do fun stuff. I liked the story and it was exciting because when David goes coon hunting and when he robbed the bees exciting things happened. When David went coon hunting, he had to climb a high tree to get a coon. Robbing the bees was exciting because I was wondering if he was going to get stung alot. My favorite part of the story was when he went up on the mountain and found the puppy because I wish I could find a puppy. What the main character learned from this book is that you always shouldn't always kill what you catch. I would recommend this book for a friend because it has lots of exciting events like when David and his Grandma robbed the bees. If my friend liked this book he/she would also like Old Ben.

I really ejoyed reading this book. As I was reading it, it touched my heart. I'm Afro- American and I know for a fact we don't get the proper education. James Herndon did an outstanding job describing the children's behavior. I suggest all educator's read this book whether you are black or white. This book will help you understand minorities and how the school system's treat them. The was it Spozed to be get's a high five from me.

This is not my favorite book on Jimmy, nor is it the most exciting, but it is well researched and solid.If you are a huge Jimmy fan like me, you will want to read every book on him you can. So if you find this, add it to your library.