Letters to Cristina [Paperback]

Paulo Freire (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0415910978 | ISBN-13: 978-0415910972 | Publication Date: July 4, 1996 | Edition: 1

Paulo Freire is regarded by many as the most significant educational thinker of the twentieth century. This volume offers Freire's own intimate retrospection of his life and work. These reflections, dedicated to his niece Cristina, provide a backdrop for a deeper understanding of how his experiences are linked to his philosophical and pedagogical work.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author of the seminal Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire further defines his philosophy of education and politics in 18 letters to his niece, Cristina. With Pedagogy now in a newly revised 20th anniversary edition, Freire looks back from his home in Brazil upon a life interrupted by 20 years of exile after the coup d'etat in 1964. He still insists on the right of the poor and illiterate to an education that will enable them "to be"?to become everything it is within their potential to be. Not a formally organized book, nor a series of essays, Letters to Cristina is necessarily discursive and sometimes repetitive as Freire stresses the themes that comprise his life's work. As relevant for Americans as it is for Brazilians, Freire's new work attacks a continuing pedagogy that would have students merely rely on memorization of facts instead of developing the critical-thinking skills necessary for becoming fully invested citizens, thus turning them into workers who will support the dominant affluent class. As a school administrator, Freire built a school community culture in which students, parents, teachers, administrators, custodians and other workers formed a close-knit family?one in which it is hard to imagine any role for "privatization" experts. Parents in developed nations may check the methodologies in their own schools to ascertain that students are as actively involved as Freire's student/teacher in their own learning. Although Freire's pedagogical terminology can sometimes be daunting, Letters to Cristina is an important read for educators and parents.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Freire is well known for his literacy work in Latin American and Africa and for his classic Pedagogy of the Oppressed (1993 ed.). His work is essential reading for literacy activists and for citizens (scholars and teachers included) committed to the values of education. With Letters, Freire frames his autobiography, as it were, in the form of epistles to his niece. He looks back on his childhood and youth, his life as an intellectual, his long exile from Brazil, and the educational and political minefield as we come to the end of the century. The letters on his childhood and youth are particularly inspiring. Other works by Freire include The Politics of Education (1984), Literacy: Reading the Word and the World (1987), and Pedagogy of the City (1993). Bonnie Smothers --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; 1 edition (July 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0415910978
• ISBN-13: 978-0415910972
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #424,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great educator reveals his thoughts, August 13, 2000

By 

Linda Burgess (Sugarloaf, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters to Cristina (Hardcover)

Paulo Freire, viewed by many as the the most significant thinker in education in the 20th century, looks at his own thought processes in this book of letters to his niece. He explains here how he writes and rewrites, how his educational theories relate to current political debates, how he responded to his exile from his native Brazil when his teachings raised the consciousness of the peasant class to threatening levels. The book gives fascinating glimpses into the life of a great educator who loved his students deeply and who believed in their abilities to think for themselves.