A NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER
"Readers will ache for him when students turn in blank worksheets, laugh when he tries to control his classroom using phrases he imagines "a real teacher would say," and furiously turn the pages to find out what the next school day holds. With skillful storytelling, self-deprecating humor and swiftly paced narratives, Boland's vulnerability will lure readers from the first scene."― Christina Ledbetter, Associated Press (full review)
"Like his students, he sometimes fails a test, but he never loses hope, and his story gleams with insight and urgency." (full review)
―Andrew Solomon, National Book Award winner and author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity
"The story told in The Battle for Room 314 shows us how high the stakes are for our most vulnerable students, and offers a fresh view and a pointed and powerful first-person perspective on American public education." (full review)
―Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison
"This memoir is a humbling reminder that no teacher is an island, and that schools, systems, and communities all share a responsibility to ensure that every child has access to a quality education." (full review)
―James E. Ryan, Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
"Told with compassion and wry humor...the ideal-shattering truths it reveals are important ones for teachers and administrators seeking to reform the urban education system in the United States. An unflinchingly honest account of one man's experiences with inner-city education." (full review) ―Kirkus
“By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Boland’s memoir is a deeply human story about the power of teaching.” ―Publishers Weekly
(full review)
"The results of his experiment in teaching are dispiriting and absolutely beautiful, in turn."
(full review) ―Utne Reader
"There is an edge to this book that I have not encountered before in any book about education, and it is extremely refreshing because education is edgy and often controversial. I certainly hope some policymakers and non-educators find themselves as riveted as I was… taking in the journey from an informed outsider, who dared to be David to Goliath." (full review) ― Getting Smart
"Captivating, insightful, and instructive, Boland's first person account and authentic struggle to understand the broken elements of the education system will appeal to students of education ,educational leadership, and social work." (full review) ―Library Journal
"Finally, a book that presents not the panacea but the reality of making schools work in communities where students face the triple challenge of poverty, racism, and violence." (full review) ―Luis Ubinas, former president, the Ford Foundation
"Ed Boland's honesty, heart, and humor left me laughing, crying, shaking my fist in rage (sometimes all at the same time), open-mouthed with his hard-won insights. The Battle for Room 314 punches you right in the heart, and should be read by...everyone."―Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of Somebody's Daughter
"Deserving of a place alongside Jonathan Kozol's classic Death At An Early Age, Boland's memoir is an absolute must-read for educators, politicians, and activists." (full review) ―Dan-el Padilla, author of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League
“Ruthless in his evaluation of himself, his students, and the larger educational system, Boland provides a clear look at the challenges facing public schools today.” (full review) ― Booklist
"Readers will ache for him when students turn in blank worksheets, laugh when he tries to control his classroom using phrases he imagines "a real teacher would say," and furiously turn the pages to find out what the next school day holds. With skillful storytelling, self-deprecating humor and swiftly paced narratives, Boland's vulnerability will lure readers from the first scene."― Christina Ledbetter, Associated Press (full review)
"Like his students, he sometimes fails a test, but he never loses hope, and his story gleams with insight and urgency." (full review)
―Andrew Solomon, National Book Award winner and author of Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity
"The story told in The Battle for Room 314 shows us how high the stakes are for our most vulnerable students, and offers a fresh view and a pointed and powerful first-person perspective on American public education." (full review)
―Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women's Prison
"This memoir is a humbling reminder that no teacher is an island, and that schools, systems, and communities all share a responsibility to ensure that every child has access to a quality education." (full review)
―James E. Ryan, Dean, Harvard Graduate School of Education
"Told with compassion and wry humor...the ideal-shattering truths it reveals are important ones for teachers and administrators seeking to reform the urban education system in the United States. An unflinchingly honest account of one man's experiences with inner-city education." (full review) ―Kirkus
“By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Boland’s memoir is a deeply human story about the power of teaching.” ―Publishers Weekly
(full review)
"The results of his experiment in teaching are dispiriting and absolutely beautiful, in turn."
(full review) ―Utne Reader
"There is an edge to this book that I have not encountered before in any book about education, and it is extremely refreshing because education is edgy and often controversial. I certainly hope some policymakers and non-educators find themselves as riveted as I was… taking in the journey from an informed outsider, who dared to be David to Goliath." (full review) ― Getting Smart
"Captivating, insightful, and instructive, Boland's first person account and authentic struggle to understand the broken elements of the education system will appeal to students of education ,educational leadership, and social work." (full review) ―Library Journal
"Finally, a book that presents not the panacea but the reality of making schools work in communities where students face the triple challenge of poverty, racism, and violence." (full review) ―Luis Ubinas, former president, the Ford Foundation
"Ed Boland's honesty, heart, and humor left me laughing, crying, shaking my fist in rage (sometimes all at the same time), open-mouthed with his hard-won insights. The Battle for Room 314 punches you right in the heart, and should be read by...everyone."―Marie Myung-Ok Lee, author of Somebody's Daughter
"Deserving of a place alongside Jonathan Kozol's classic Death At An Early Age, Boland's memoir is an absolute must-read for educators, politicians, and activists." (full review) ―Dan-el Padilla, author of Undocumented: A Dominican Boy's Odyssey from a Homeless Shelter to the Ivy League
“Ruthless in his evaluation of himself, his students, and the larger educational system, Boland provides a clear look at the challenges facing public schools today.” (full review) ― Booklist