Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I was disappointed. Having taught in an urban, and chronically underperforming district (and school), I was seeking insight when I purchased Emdin's book, as I prepared to return to teaching. I read the Introduction, and was intrigued. However, as I began to read the book, I found that he, while accusing "white" teachers of stereotyping "students of color", did the same in his writing. He assigns one "culture" to students of color, and the prevailing message is one of an alignment with hip hop, rap, and the art of dressing well when you cannot feel good about your life otherwise. As I do with most books, I kept a sharpened pencil in hand, and responded to the words of the author I found that I spent so much time responding Edmin's narrow point of view about teachers and students in urban environments, I wore two pencils to the nub, and I had only read three chapters. While some might argue that the book had an impact on me, so I felt the need to respond to the author's statements, I would respond that my time is better spent reading Greenleaf's Servant Leadership, and continuing with Proust. There are only so many hours in the day...and devoting any more time to Edmin and his limited vision would be folly. Because I questioned my perspective, I accessed Edmin's website, and clicked on his blog. There had not been any new postings since 2014. Is this book an essay in narrow minded self absorption and a path to booking engagements? I still don't know. I tried to find out more about Edmin, but the interviews in the book focus primarily on his conversations with white teachers. What do the teachers of color think of him? How many years did he teach in urban environments before he moved to teacher education departments at the university level (Columbia)? Further, I watched several of Edmin's presentations through TED, and was again, disappointed. They were lackluster, and predictable in his rap renditions at the beginning, and his comments about how to engage students. Has he booked too many speaking engagements (he has one upcoming in Moreno Valley CA) to present in a fresh, insightful, and energetic manner that he expects of teachers? Again...I remain confused. So, the completed book will find its way to my bookshelf, I was, however, interested in many of the resources listed in the Notes section of the book. I do not view the purchase of the book as a waste of money, but I closed the book feeling disheartened at his assessments of the needs of the students in urban educational environments.