Reading with Patrick was an inspiring story about one woman's experience teaching and mentoring a young man in the Delta region of Arkansas. While spending time with Patrick she read poetry during their time together. They were both transformed from this experience. I wish Michelle had stayed in the area. This part of the country is still repressed from poverty and drugs. Hard to read, but yet uplifting. Shows we can all teach someone.

Good book about a teacher who genuinely cares about her student and one young man that she forms a bond with. This book is about their journey and what a heart-warming journey it is. We learn about the characters. The author seems to be very genuine and honest in her writing. Some parts of the book dragged (I am not a fan of poetry) but overall, good book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

READING WITH PATRICK: A TEACHER, A STUDENT, AND A LIFE-CHANGING FRIENDSHIP, by Michelle Kuo, is both beautiful and heart-breaking. The book, in my opinion, lets the reader see just how important learning to read is, especially in today's society; Reading is a big part of our lives. And the author, through her great writing skills, brought that out. That is why I think the book deserves five stars. A wonderful read!

As a teacher, I can only hope for the kind of relationship that the author developed with Patrick. Her book displayed the kind of unsentimental attachment that is so desperately needed with today's youth.
Her book spares no feeling and is so brutally honest that I cringed at times while reading it.
I will recommend this book to all my colleagues, for while we may not be dealing with the same issues for each student, caring and compassion is a universally understood language.
Thank you for allowing me to read this brilliant book.

READING WITH PATRICK by Michelle Kuo is subtitled "A Teacher, a Student, and a Life-Changing Friendship." Even before this book was published, I was mentioning it to teachers who are looking for an alternative read to possibly pair with The Other Wes Moore. Michelle Kuo was a Teach for America participant in Arkansas in 2004 where she met Patrick Browning, a young man who learned to love reading, literature and writing. Sadly, Patrick later is incarcerated on a murder charge; as a result, Kuo returns from Harvard Law School to spend more time with him. READING WITH PATRICK is eye-opening in terms of the poor quality of education available, the attitudes towards corporal punishment and the level of poverty, much like Teacher by Michael Copperman (written about his time in Teach for America) or Pat Conroy's classic, The Water is Wide. Although also reminiscent of J.D. Vance's Hillbilly Elegy, Kuo expands her focus to include the redeeming benefits of literacy, plus race relations and the legal process.

Christian Science Monitor said READING WITH PATRICK "could be the most affecting book you'll read this year," and we plan to consider it for our faculty book group discussion. Starred review from Library Journal, with a forward by Wes Moore.

I just finished "Reading with Patrick" by Michelle Kuo.

Funny enough, this book is about reading books and poetry, and writing too.  This book is a memoir about a teacher and her students, and one student in particular, Patrick.  Ms. Kuo is the teacher and the author, and in her book she tells the story about how once we are a teacher, we cannot stop teaching.  She loves teaching.

I enjoyed the story about her desire to help her students in a poor southern town. She was a good teacher in a school where most teachers and their students didn't care about school.  It was interesting to read about a good teacher and her viewpoint.  

What is different about this story, is that years later she follows up on her students, and finds out what has happened to them in their lives.  It is mostly not good news.  She decides to help one student change that.  This is their story.

I did not like the author's tendency to self analyze.  She goes into long discussions in her mind trying to figure out her own motives and what she wants to do in her life.  I didn't like those parts of the book much.  Ms. Kuo is definitely not a psychologist or counselor.  Overall though, I did like the book.

The book also enlightens us by showing that it takes more than one year to change a child's life.  It takes commitment and years of input and help.  Besides our own children and grandchildren, we don't normally spend that much time with a child.  Most teachers have a student in their class for one or two years.  Maybe we need more people like the author Ms. Kuo.  We need people who care enough about kids who made a mistake, and give them the opportunity to change and turn their life around.  This book is about such a person, and the one kid she helps.

Young Taiwan-American Woman (Michelle) teaches an English class for disadvantaged African-American youth (Patrick) in rural Helena, Alabama. This memoir was beautiful, touching, eye opening, and emotional. It brought tears to my eyes several times. I cannot say enough good things about it and would recommend it to everyone, especially teachers and anyone who loves a child.

Like the documentary, 13th, this book also explores how the prison and judicial system is failing the minority population.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! Without hearing about this book through NetGalley, I'm not sure I would have found it, and I am extremely thankful that I did as it gave me a lot to think about.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. This is a well written work that provides a (fictional but relevant) exploration of some important cultural/societal concerns. I'll recommend it to students and to others who would find the topics enlightening.

Reading with Patrick is an insightful look into the Delta, a portion of the southeastern United States that is particularly known for it's poverty and racist history. Ms. Kuo shows us first hand how this history affects modern day life in Helena, Arkansas for her students in the Star School, an alternative middle school where "troubled" kids are sent for attendance issues, fighting etc. The author is particularly taken with Patrick, who shows a lot of promise and a keen interest in learning. Fast forward several years and Ms Kuo is on her way to becoming a lawyer and accepting a great job in California. She hears from an old friend in the Delta that Patrick has been arrested for murder and after much arguing with herself over if she did/can make a difference in Pat's life, she decides to head back down south to see how she can help. She proceeds to start teaching him again, visiting every him in jail daily. An excellent look into the problems with our justice system, and the systemic racism that fuels them. We also see the huge difference one caring person can make, and the impact of literature on a mind thirsting for knowledge. If you enjoyed 13th (documentary) or The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, try Reading with Patrick.

If you are perplexed as to why the progress in education of rural and inner city students seems so intractable, then "Reading with Patrick" by Michelle Kuo is a must read. Ms. Kuo tells a compelling narrative of an innocent who goes to teach in a very rural Mississippi school. She grapples with under educated students, underfunded school, her own notions of privilege, and her family's expectations of her career path just to mention a few topics covered in the story of her student Patrick. The book is a page turner to this reviewer and presented a good mix of story and historical documentation and context.
Every one interested in education, any one who hopes to teach and "change" the world must read and discuss this book.

I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a must read for everyone. It is a true heartfelt memoir about racism, inequality, and resilience. Michelle becomes a teacher in one of the toughest schools in the Delta. In this classroom, she meets Patrick. I'm sure she never thought one student would make such an impact on her life. Hearing Patrick's made me change my outlook on some of the stories I hear. Excellent story.

While I agree with the many reviewers that find this memoir “inspiring” and “moving”, my first choice of a descriptive adjective would be heartbreaking. Reading with Patrick offers a glimpse into a world that few will believe still exists today in the United States. Michelle Kuo tells the tale of a young African American boy, Patrick Browning, who lives in a Helena, Arkansas, a town situated in one of the poorest counties in the U.S. Kuo is sent to Helena through the Teach for America program and befriends Patrick during the two years she spends there. Thankfully, Kuo is honest and tells of both her failures and successes, and her struggle to figure out how to connect with kids who face so many challenges in life. While Patrick is a product of his environment, Kuo’s interactions with Patrick manage to eventually set him on a different trajectory and clearly significantly impacted Kuo’s life too.

The conditions in which Kuo taught are truly mindboggling, and the dropout rate for the local high school staggering. Our public school system is in desperate need of an overhaul and nowhere is this more apparent than Helena, Arkansas. While I am not sure what the solution is, one is desperately needed as Reading with Patrick so vividly demonstrates.

While Patrick is the focus of the book, Kuo also provides the background story for Helena and how the town and area ended up on the bottom rung of society. This context helped the story along and engendered my sympathy for those forced to live in the conditions Kuo describes.

As a lover of literature, I relished the poems and passages she includes; they were a highlight of the book. Reading with Patrick is a tough read but worth every second it takes to read it. It serves a reminder that one person can make a difference on the life of another. I have not stopped thinking about Patrick and Helena, Arkansas since I finished reading the book, and I wish it would be required reading for Betsy DeVos, the Department of Education, and every school district board.

I was drawn to this book because my son is currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird and The Water is Wide for his Honors English project. In talking through those books with him, Reading with Patrick seemed like a book that would explore those same topics and provide another viewpoint.

In Reading with Patrick, we meet Michelle Kuo, a recent Harvard graduate, who accepts a teaching job in the Mississippi Delta area. A child of Taiwanese immigrants, Kuo soon learns that her idealistic approach to the students is met with little enthusiasm. What she encounters there changes her life and takes her down many different paths than what she imagined. The book not only details the friendship that developed between Ms. Kuo and her student Patrick, but on a larger scale, examines the difference one person can make in the lives of others. Reading with Patrick also takes a look at how difficult it is for people to overcome the circumstances of their environment, even with the best of intentions. Ultimately, the book is a true testament of how a friendship changed the lives of both teacher and student forever.

Reading with Patrick is inspiring on many different levels and I felt the author truly captured many amazing moments of her time with Patrick.

I received this book courtesy of Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

New Spaces Inside: on Michelle Kuo’s READING WITH PATRICK

This memoir earns ten stars in a five star world. The author's unflinching honesty and immersion into a culture and community vastly different from her own inform a deeper conversation about the role of education in contemporary American democracy. Michelle Kuo—American-born daughter of Taiwanese parents—sidesteps the siren call of corporate America. Armed with her Harvard degree and infinite idealism, Ms. Kuo moves to Arkansas on assignment with Teach for America.

"What I wanted to do was straightforward, immediate work in places that needed people." Placed at a continuation school "Stars" where incorrigible students were sidelined as a last resort, her determination becomes a suit of armor as Ms. Kuo faces down insurmountable obstacles in order to teach basic literacy. The community of Helena, Arkansas has suffered generations of institutionalized poverty, racism, and neglect. One strength of Ms. Kuo's narrative is her juxtaposition of historical and legal facts with the realities she experiences while living in the region.

One student, Patrick, earns a deeper focus, because the author stays in touch with him after she leaves the Delta to pursue a law degree. In the meanwhile, Patrick lands in jail on a murder charge. The heart of this memoir concerns the evolving mentorship between Ms. Kuo and Patrick, and how Patrick makes the best of his situation, while Ms. Kuo struggles to pull her own life together. Their minds meet in the realm of literature, and their discussions find deeper dimension reading and writing poetry.

I highly recommend this book to people devoted to the art of teaching, to those who aspire to teach, to those who are working in under-served schools, and to those who create educational policy. Fans of Azar Nafisi's READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN, Erin Gruwell's THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY, Esmé Raji Codell’s EDUCATING ESME, or Frank McCourt's TEACHER MAN will savor this compelling and suspenseful addition to the canon.

I appreciated this book more than I loved it. The reporting that she did about the area and opportunities (or lack of them) were more interesting to me than the story about Patrick. Many authors and educators have shown what a difference a caring adult can make in another life. What is unfortunate is that this country does not see the value that could be achieved. I understand how this changed Ms. Kuo's life and I admire her very much. I'm not sure that she made the case that it changed Patrick. The ending made me think of "Flowers for Algernon" and I can't quite shake the connection.

Although this book kept my interest, there were parts that did not interest me as much. I'm not a fan of poetry so some of the "famous" poems, I skimmed over, although I did read any that were written by Patrick. I found parts of the book especially eye-opening and inspirational. On Goodreads, I am giving this 4 stars, but feels it deserves 3.5 stars , but rating it 3 stars seems to low. Nevertheless, I do recommend this book; it takes place in an area of the country that many of us know little about

J'ai eu envie de lire ce livre car "l'action" se situait dans l'Arkansas, qui est le premier État américain où j'ai mis les pieds ; à Helena, qui se trouve à 70 km de Forrest City, la ville où j'étais assistante. Évidemment, le sujet m'intéressait aussi : l'éducation des enfants défavorisés (ou complètement oubliés, comme dans le Delta). Et je voulais savoir ce qui avait poussé Michelle Kuo à aller enseigner là-bas bénévolement et j'étais curieuse de connaître la réaction des élèves face à un professeur asiatique. (Il y a soi-disant une rivalité entre les Noirs et les Asiatiques aux États-Unis ; ces derniers étant "assimilés blancs" et mieux perçus).

Admiratrice du mouvement pour les droits civiques (et de James Baldwin en particulier) et de la littérature noire, Michelle Kuo décide à 22 ans de partir enseigner dans le Delta du Mississippi. Elle souhaite faire connaître les lectures qui l'ont inspirée quand elle était elle-même au lycée : Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright, Maya Angelou car elle les trouve aussi courageux que les Asiatiques lui semblent craintifs. Pour elle, les Noirs ont hérité d'une histoire remplie de passions et de rancœurs et cela fait leur force. Elle se trouve faible et docile, et souhaite repartir de zéro et ne plus choisir systématiquement l'option la plus sûre. À l'université, elle travaille dans un foyer, abandonne la préparation aux études de médecine et se dirige vers les sciences sociales. Elle ne sait pas quoi faire après l'université et lorsqu'elle rencontre une recruteuse (asiatique elle aussi) pour le programme Teach for America, elle décide d'aller enseigner dans le Delta du Mississippi, l'un des endroits les plus pauvres des États-Unis, où les professeurs manquent cruellement. Elle se rend compte qu'elle ne sait pas comment les gens vivent maintenant là-bas ; on ne parle plus d'eux depuis la fin des mouvements pour les droits civiques et du Black Power. Ses parents sont évidemment en colère car ils sont persuadés qu'elle gâche sa vie et qu'elle sera tuée là-bas. Elle se retrouve dans une école alternative, Stars, où sont lâchés tous les élèves jugés irrécupérables. L'école de la dernière chance en quelque sorte. Elle découvre que les châtiments corporels existent toujours sous la forme du paddling, avec une espèce de batte estampillée ARKANSAS BOARD OF EDUCATION ; que toute la région forme un ghetto sans perspective. Et c'est là qu'elle rencontre Patrick. Il l'impressionne par son attitude, son calme et son sérieux. Et comme les autres élèves, il a foi en l'avenir et pense qu'il pourra trouver un bon travail après le lycée. Et c'est pour lui qu'elle reviendra dans le Delta, après avoir obtenu son diplôme de droit, quand il sera incarcéré pour meurtre.
Michelle Kuo retrace l'histoire du Delta et d'Helena en particulier. Quand elle arrive en 2004, la ville ne ressemble plus à celle décrite par Mark Twain en 1883, "joliment située sur le fleuve". Il n'y a pas de café, pas de librairie, pas de cinéma. La ville a commencé son déclin à la fermeture de l'usine de caoutchouc à la fin des années 70. La classe moyenne est partie. Les élèves des écoles publiques sont majoritairement noirs ; les enfants blancs eux fréquentent une école privée créée à l'époque de l'intégration.

Les premiers mois d'enseignement se passent mal. La plupart des élèves n'ont jamais vu d'Asiatiques et lui demandent si elle est de la famille de Jackie Chan. D'autres sont moins polis. Michelle Kuo est choquée par l'attitude des élèves, mais surtout par la sienne. Elle devient méchante, en voulant être sévère, elle hurle, elle se comporte comme les enfants et le regrette. Les élèves ne se tiennent bien que lorsque l'officier de police en uniforme est dans la classe. Ils ne s'intéressent pas aux textes d'auteurs noirs qu'elle veut leur faire découvrir : James Baldwin est trop difficile, Malcom X les ennuie. Elle s'aperçoit que le fait que les auteurs soient noirs n'est pas suffisant. Les élèves n'ont aucun repère et ne connaissent pas les principaux faits de l'histoire des Noirs aux États-Unis. C'est uniquement lorsqu'elle leur présente A Raisin in the Sun, la pièce de Lorraine Hansberry qu'elle parvient à les faire réagir. C'est particulièrement le personnage de la grand-mère qui les impressionne parce qu'elle ne plaisante pas.

Bon, je m'arrête là parce qu'il y aurait trop de choses à dire. J'ai eu peur que le livre tourne à la prof idéaliste qui change la vie de ses élèves et ils s'en sortent tous grâce à elle. Il y a un tout petit peu de ça. Mais il y a surtout la triste réalité de cette région oubliée où tout le monde devient fataliste. Patrick connaît des hauts et des bas, mais il se bat justement parce que sa prof lui a montré de l'intérêt et ne l'a pas laissé tomber.

J'ai toujours du mal à commenter un livre non-fictionnel. De nombreux aspects de ce livre m'ont passionnée, même si j'ai trouvé quelques longueurs. Je ne parle pas beaucoup de Patrick ici, mais c'est vraiment un jeune homme attachant et brillant. Je préfère vous laisser le découvrir.

Un détail qui m'a marquée dans le livre : Les parents de Michelle Kuo la mettent en garde des dangers que courent les Asiatiques aux États-Unis en lui citant des crimes dont je n'avais pas du tout entendu parler et dont les coupables blancs ont été acquittés. Ils veulent lui faire comprendre qu'ils ne comptent pas et que leurs visages les excluent de l'imaginaire américain, qu'ils seront toujours des étrangers (que l'on complimente sur leur anglais parfait).

À lire absolument.

This memoir drew me in slowly and insidiously; Ms. Kuo finishes her degree at Harvard University, is accepted into the Teach for America program, and heads to Arkansas to change the world. As I grew to know Ms. Kuo and her middle school students at Star, the 'alternative' school in the Mississippi delta, I became enmeshed in their lives, both teacher and students. As a former English teacher myself, I wondered if this book would be too saccharine, or too heartfelt, or too tragic? It was none of the above. It is a gripping and engaging memoir of a young woman who tries whole-heartedly to make a difference, to change a child's life. When she meets Patrick, a sixteen year old stuck in eighth grade, Ms. Kuo sees a glimmer of hope in this young man. As life buffets both Patrick and Michelle Kuo to unexpected places, his teacher never gives up on him. And I mean never - who can say that? For any teacher who always wanted to be 'the one,' the teacher who changes a child's life, read this book. For a new teacher, just starting out, read this book and be inspired by what it means to truly teach, and the incredible time and effort it takes to be amazing. To anyone who believes in the power of literature to change the world, read this book. I will never forget Ms. Kuo, Patrick, or the strength of character shown by them both.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this inspiring book. As a retired English teacher of struggling students, I hope I was as dedicated a teacher as Ms Kuo, a young, Harvard graduate, who settles in Helena, Arkansas, and earns the respect and love of her students. Her biggest reward is her student, Patrick, who, despite race and poverty, mistakes and jail time, produces writing full of great insight. He always says he is successful because of his teacher....."I cried because somebody cared for me." After leaving the Delta, getting a law degree, and moving to CA, Ms Kuo learns that Patrick has been imprisoned and returns to continue their lessons, which results in Patrick serving his time, being released, and having a successful life. I hope all parents and educators will think of her words and share their love of reading with their students. ".....it frightened me that so little was required for him to develop intellectually...a quiet room, a pile of books, and some adult guidance." I loved this book.

I hope that readers of this book aren't surprised that a teacher--any adult who cares, actually--can have an amazing impact on a student. Research bears that out. In fact, building relationships with students has a bigger impact on academic success than most academic strategies (check out the research of John Hattie in his Visible Learning series if you double this.) <i>Reading with Patrick</i> is another in a long line of books where teachers soundly demonstrate this fact. <i>To Sir with Love, Christy, The Water is Wide</i> and many more come to mind.

Kuo adds the twist of continuing to work with Patrick long past the classroom, when she discovers he is in jail. She postpones her own life to see if she can help him, providing assignments and checking out his legal status. If you aren't aware of the impact one soul can have, read away as Kuo's tale is well written. But we should all know this by now and be eager to see our schools change into places where teachers actually have time for this cornerstone of student success.