The Lives of Children: The Story of the First Street School [Paperback]

George Dennison (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1970

Of all the books written on education in the sixties and seventies, The Lives of Children was one of the most significant. When it was first published, Herbert Kohl wrote, "There is no book I know of that shows so well what a free and humane education can be like, nor is there a more eloquent description of its philosophy." John Holt, reviewing the book for The New York Review of Books, wrote, "If anyone felt he had time to read only one book on education, The Lives of Children should be the one."

The Lives of Children is George Dennison's story of The First Street School and how he succeeded in helping kids no one had been able to help.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

George Dennison wrote novels, stories, and plays, as well as his classic work on the First Street School. His best-known fiction includes the novels Luisa Domic, A Tale of Pierrot and Other Stories, and a story for children, And Then a Harvest Feast. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Random House Inc (P) (June 1970)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0394708636
• ISBN-13: 978-0394708638
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,098,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece, challenging and inspiring, April 6, 2008

By 

Elly (California, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Lives of Children: The Story of the First Street School (Innovators in Education) (Paperback)

This book is a masterpiece, a classic work, beautifully and tenderly written, full of wisdom. The book's chapters alternate between excerpts from the journal Dennison kept during his year as a teacher at the First Street School (a small "free school" that served primarily poor children of color in New York City during the mid-1960's) and essays on education that use Dennison's experiences at First Street as their starting points. This book has been on my bookshelf for twenty-five years and I have gone back to it over and over. As a "touchstone" for the essential truths about education, this book far surpasses any other book on education I've seen.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lives of Children, September 20, 2005

By 

Lawrence J. Gusman "Lawrence Gusman, Ph.D." (Southfield, Michigan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lives of Children: The Story of the First Street School (Innovators in Education) (Paperback)

As when I first read this book 30 years ago, it is still the best explanation for why education works or doesn't work. And it is very well written -- and very touching! It reaches one's soul.