Dangerous Minds: They Were Problem Kids With One Last Chance . . . Her [Mass Market Paperback]

LouAnne Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1995

She bullied, bluffed, and bribed her students into caring about school.

And if that didn't work, the pretty, petite ex-marine told them she'd been trained to kill with her bare hands.

They were called the class from Hell-thirty-four inner city sophomores she inherited from a teacher who'd been "pushed over the edge." She was told "those kids have tasted blood. They're dangerous."

But LouAnne Johnson had a different idea. Where the school system saw thirty-four unreachable kids, she saw young men and women with intelligence and dreams. When others gave up on them, she broke the rules to give them the best things a teacher can give-hope and belief in themselves. When statistics showed the chances were they'd never graduate, she fought to beat the odds.

This is her remarkable story-and theirs.

If you loved Stand and Deliver, you'll stand up and cheer for LouAnne Johnson and Dangerous Minds.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The poignancy of her stories sneaks up on you and grabs hold of your heart." --Booklist

"Compelling!" --San Jose Mercury News

"Remarkable...Johnson proves that unorthodox methods can turn a problem kid into an 'A' student." --Vogue

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (August 15, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312956207
• ISBN-13: 978-0312956202
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #629,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Biography LouAnne Johnson

LouAnne Johnson is a former U.S. Navy journalist, Marine Corps officer, high school teacher, and the author of The New York Times bestseller Dangerous Minds. A native of rural northwestern Pennsylvania, LouAnne served nine years on active military duty first as an enlisted journalist in the Navy and later as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Marine Corps where she earned awards for her work as a journalist and radio-tv broadcaster. 

While on active duty, LouAnne earned a B.S. in Psychology. Following her honorable discharge, she attended graduate school to earn a Master of Arts in teaching English. In 1989, LouAnne began teaching reading and writing to non-English speakers as an intern at a high school in California. Two years later, she was appointed department chair of a special program for at-risk teens. During the government evaluation of 10 similar pilot programs, LouAnne's group was rated first in academic achievement, increased self-esteem, and student retention.


In 1992, she wrote a memoir My Posse Don't Do Homework, about her experiences working with at-risk teens. The book was published in eight languages and was adapted for the 1995 box office hit "Dangerous Minds" starring Michelle Pfeiffer.


Since then LouAnne has continued to teach. She has taught high school English, adult ESL and Developmental Reading and is presently a full-time professor of teacher education at Santa Fe Community College in New Mexico.

LouAnne also continues to write. She is the author of seven nonfiction books, most recently Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students by Their Brains.

Muchacho, LouAnne's first novel, was published by Knopf in September 2009. The narrator of Muchacho, Eddie Corazon, is a 16-year-old juvenile delinquent and "secret reader" who attends an alternative high school in New Mexico.

LouAnne has presented keynote addresses to the National School Boards Association, the American School Counselors Association, the National Staff Development Council, and the European Council of International Schools, among others. She has appeared on several TV shows, including Oprah, CBS Eye to Eye, and NBC Weekend Today.

LouAnne maintains a website that has direct links to many of the topics she discusses during her presentations.

www.louannejohnson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Get Any Better, November 22, 2005

By 

Amanda - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dangerous Minds: They Were Problem Kids With One Last Chance . . . Her (Mass Market Paperback)

Dangerous Minds by Louanne Johnson is a real life story about a woman and her experiences teaching in an inner city program for unfortunate kids. I'm not much of a reader, but this story really got me interested. You can tell that this story is for real, by what happens. This story appeals to me because I can relate to it. Many other younger people could relate to this story and that is why I would actually recommend this to any young kid that has a rough time in school. To some extent it has some lessons to it. For example, she teaches her kids to be respectful of themselves. Without a doubt in my mind if any young kids read this they would fully enjoy this heart felt story.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book!, July 9, 2003

By 

"alycewhaley" (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dangerous Minds: They Were Problem Kids With One Last Chance . . . Her (Mass Market Paperback)

This is one of my all-time favorite books. I read it years ago when it was first published as My Posse Don't Do Homework. The book is so much better than the movie because the book is true. The students really touch your heart. This books reads like fiction because LouAnne Johnson is a professional writer and she knows how to tell a story. As a teacher, I have had many students similar to the ones LouAnne Johnson writes about. And I met her at a teacher's conference. She truly cares about young people and has devoted her life to trying to improve our education system so that more children and teachers can enjoy school. Those teachers who say terrible things about this book are probably just jealous. Sour grapes won't help them become better teachers - but reading this book might help, if they tried some of LouAnne's techniques, such as using private journals to communicate with kids. Her ideas really do work.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At last a book about genuineness and the power of Love, May 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Dangerous Minds: They Were Problem Kids With One Last Chance . . . Her (Mass Market Paperback)

LouAnne Johnson's style and presentation draw you into her world, but it's not just her experiences you'll share, but those of each student as well. LouAnne's description of the classroom atmosphere and individual lives of students make this more than just a story of HER teaching years. This is real life, baby, and you'll get a healthy taste of the educational system that is still clunking along today. LouAnne is the genuine article, the real McCoy and the students sense her deep-level caring. Fortunately, by reading the book, you can glean a similar sense of the Love, openness, attention, and hope that LouAnne shared with these students. No wonder they were all considered "dangerous minds."