Escape from Gangsta Island: A School's Progressive Decline. (Paperback)

~ Bernard Paul Chapin (Author)
Key Phrases: crazy train, fight night, togetherness model, Bobbi Sue, Gangsta Island, Little Boots (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Is it surprising to learn that there is a school in the United States where the principal gives away semiautomatic rifles to retiring school personnel? Or where the person in charge is so devoid of common sense that she allows combustible engines to run in enclosed areas in the presence of students?

In this astonishing true story, author Bernard Chapin reveals what happened when a once proud school was placed into the hands of a principal with a personality disorder. The administrators of the district, rather than acknowledge their mistake in hiring the principal, work indefatigably to cover her misdeeds while dismissing longtime employees who become aware of her illness.

The school soon becomes a place where education is dumbed down, graduations increase due to less restrictive requirements, and every misdeed is excused for the sake of the kids.

Escape from Gangsta Island is a comic horror story of a troubled school for troubled teen-agers led by a crazy principal who believed that fun and games lead to… Well, even the reality—challenged principal didn’t claim students were being educated. Character! That was it, but students were not building character either.”
—Joanne Jacobs, and author of Our School: The Inspiring Story of Two Teachers, One Big Idea, and the School That Beat the Odds.

About the Author

Bernard Paul Chapin has been a school psychologist for eleven years and has worked in both mainstream education and special education. Chapin also taught graduate courses at Chicago universities.

Product Details

• Paperback: 396 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse, Inc. (February 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595376738
• ISBN-13: 978-0595376735
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,552,101 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Important book, July 27, 2006

By	NA Miles "VDH" (West Rising Sun, IN) - See all my reviews

As a former teacher who resigned from the profession for similar reasons, Chapin's book hit home with me, bringing out many of the same issues that education must remedy in order to overcome its current downtrodden state.

Chapin's book is wonderfully crafted and exquisitely worded, mixing eye opening anecdotes and clever background details on major characters, so as to augment his theme and stances.

Any parent who wants to understand why public education is in shambles needs to first learn what those in charge are doing and saying, and Chapin elucidates those horrors in a clear, concise way.

As someone who also just finished co-writing a book on educational reform, I highly recommend Chapin's book. You don't find many teachers who can write and relay their thoughts so coherently, much less take a stand against their profession in order to improve it in the long run.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Public School woe's in the ghetto., March 3, 2006

By	whitesock5 (chicago) - See all my reviews

If you are an educator this is a great book to read. It depicts what it is like to work in a poorly funded school that has an insane administration. It also shows the troubles teacher face when they work in a area where the students come from ghetto neighborhoods and worship the "gansta" lifestyle. None of the students care what happens during their time spent at school but more amazingly the administration doesn't care about educational enhancement either. Which leads this once nice alternative school down a path of destruction.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wild Story that I Wish Wasn't True!, March 26, 2006

By	Tamara Baby "Tamara Baby" (Hammond, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This one was not what I expected because it was far more funnier and out of pocket than what I thought could ever be possible in a public school even if it's an alternative school. Chapin is a really good writer apart from some of the spelling errors. The guy needs an editor, but this was a page turner. I read it over the weekend and couldn't put it down. CRAZY!!!