Punished for Dreaming builds on the arguments Dr. Love presents in We Want To Do More Than Survive and presents more historical context and personal stories demonstrating the horrific educational inequalities in the United States. As a teacher who has worked for some of the districts and networks Dr. Love examines, I can verify that she accurately assesses the damage done by educational reform and the problems caused by running schools for profit. While Dr. Love makes bold claims like using the term superpredators to identify school reformers, her assertions are backed up by her evidence. Her final call to action for educational reparations is a necessary resolution to decades of damaging educational reforms. I will recommend this book to my fellow educators, and I hope that it spurs conversations about the real and urgent changes actually needed in education.

This was clearly a well researched book written by an author very passionate on the topic. As an educator I was very excited to get a copy of Punished for Dreaming to read it and evaluate how I can be a better educator for my students. A lot of the book was spent detailing all the educational policies and systems of the past that are not working. At the end of the book some suggestions were given about ideas for what we can do to begin making reparations and begin moving forward. This is a book I think a lot of policy makers should read to see how the decisions they make hurt others. This was an eye opening and well written book. I received an ARC and this is my honest review.

I read this book for free thanks to NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback

As an educator I found this book eye opening. I was already aware of disparity in education, but I didn't realize how deeply it went. I live-in Canada, so some of this is, and some of it isn't relevant to my own students.

A strong book with many powerful personal stories. This book is at its strongest when detailing how various “reform” movements, even well meaning ones, over time have hurt Black students. People will probably be a bit turned off at the end as it goes over policy ideas (mainly educational reparations). The author does pursue this in a very logical way though that shouldn’t be discounted.

Such a well written and thought-provoking book! This is a must read for everyone but especially those in education.

I received a temporary digital copy of Punished for Dreaming by Bettina L. Love from NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Punished for Dreaming is an excellent book. Hands down all educators should read Love's work. The thorough research gives the reader an extraordinary understanding of Superpredators and their negative impacts on American education. I was drawn to Punished for Dreaming because of the premise (from an email by the publisher recommending the book) that Love would provide next steps and as an educator, I want to know what I can do in my classroom, and at the building and district level to improve the educational experience for Black children. Love doesn't get the healing steps until the last chapter--reparations. I strongly agree with Love's suggestion, and wish there were more as I am walking away with so many more questions on how we can improve as an educational community.

Really informative book! It’s well researched, but easily digestible. Should be required reading in schools across the country.

This book needs to be a required read for anyone in the educational profession. Thank you for sharing your expertise and for shining a light on educational racism and trauma inflicted by white supremacy.

I thought this was very insightful and a good read for anyone in the profession. I would recommend. It was well researched and provided a lot of nuanced ideas.

Punished for Dreaming is an absolute must read for anyone who is an educator, or concerned with educational justice. Bettina Love clearly breaks down how education policy has failed marginalized people in the US, and lays out a path for reparations and atonement.

An absolutely essential read for educators. Dr. Love powerfully presents the evidence and results of the 40 year war on public education that's driven by white backlash and school reform and has hurt Black children most of all. Punished for Dreaming should be at the top of every educator's "to read" list, and really anybody who has a stake in the outcomes of how we educate our children.

Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are mine.

#PunishedForDreaming

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of Bettina L. Love’s Punished for Dreaming

This book is a must-read for any educator in the public school system. It reinforced many of my beliefs about the flaws of our public school system. More importantly, it provided insight and compelling evidence that racism is not only alive and well in the hallowed halls of our schools, it is deeply ingrained and reinforced through federal, state, and local policies that do harm to our children of color. For Black children, our schools are structurally carceral, not only inhibiting but actively denying their education.

Love’s meticulous research shows how federal policies that promised a “quality” education for all ironically named “No Child Left Behind” or “Race to the Top” have done exactly the opposite for our children of color.

Love’s anecdotal evidence mirrored narratives I’ve heard over the decades from my POC students and colleagues. School buildings in predominately Black neighborhoods are beyond neglected. In white neighborhoods where I’ve taught, neighborhood Black and brown students are suspended for infractions that would be otherwise ignored in their white peers. Black students walking home from school were pulled over and cuffed by the police because “they didn’t look like they were from the [predominately white] neighborhood. These have been my observations that I could leave at work at the end of the day and go home. For Black children and families, this is their life.

I am an aging white middle-class woman who has dedicated her life to education. I am cognizant of my privilege and have been involved in programs that build equity and equality for children of color in education. But these programs haven’t been enough. This book challenged my beliefs in a way that other books on anti-racism haven’t. It made me uncomfortable; it made me aware; it made me reflect on the profession I dedicated my life to. While I don’t necessarily agree with all of Love’s proposed solutions would be beneficial for Black - or any students, her writing has made me deeply aware that the status quo will not fix the ingrained racism in the foundations of the educational systems we have built.

This book should – and will - spark discussion on how we fix a system that badly needs fixing.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that is important. It speaks to the systemic structures put into play, the structures that uphold the very fabric of the issues we are facing in our country. It starts with education. It starts with the school system. But it doesn't end there. Bettina L. Love writes confidently, clearly, and provides plenty of evidence to back up the points explored in this text. This book is essential for educators - whether they work within the public school system, a private sector, university, etc.

This will be a book that I purchase and add to my library.

As for the educator questions: I cannot say that I will recommend this book to my students, as they are too young to read (or grasp many of these concepts), but I will absolutely recommend to my colleagues and the families with whom I work.

A must read for educators. Excellent read and so enlightening. I will be recommending to my colleagues!!

This book should be required for educators. It is a well-rounded, evidence-based guide for cultural competence in education. There was a lot in it that I already knew and some that I could easily deduct. However, it did feel like a good refresher or reminder. Worst case scenario, you reinforce concepts that you already know. A must-read in my opinion.

Thus far: six chapters in. It's obvious this is an incredibly well researched book. But anyone who has kept themselves aware of the trends in education for the last few decades knows this. This book is being marketed as a book every educator has read. Perhaps I'm more knowledgable about things than most educators but it's not anything I didn't already know. I am hopeful though for the 'how we heal' part of the text to begin.

Finishing the book didn't give individuals much of a clear path forward and perhaps this book isn't meant to. It looks at the big picture which again may be helpful for policy makers to read. As an educator in the trenches who is very aware of all the information being presented though I was a bit disappointed. This didn't tell me anything I hadn't read before or present me with ideas that haven't been said. I'm aware that changes need to be made and I try in my own ways within my classroom and the people I interact with to make those changes. I do believe this is a valuable book for many to read, but not for those within education. We already know this. But it is a good insight for those who make policy or do not work in schools as it provides in depth information and statistics, history, and real life stories.

First and foremost, I would like to thank Macmillan Publishing for granting me this advanced readers copy.

Reading Love's book on the history of Black education in the United States was eye-opening. We know that the US has failed its Black community for centuries, but Love's work shows how, despite the resilience of Black people, we are still part of an institution that preys on and disposes of this community. Love provides an in-depth and critical history of Black education, covering topics such as "separate but equal," Brown v. Board of Education, civil rights, Reagan's War on Drugs, philanthropic money in education, and the education industry. By doing so, Love paints a vivid picture of the collective harm and racism that underlies the entire US education system.

If you finish this book with more questions than answers, that's a good thing! We need to be inspired and thoughtful and challenge what we think we know to be true. The current education system has been upholding white supremacy since before the US was founded. As educators, it is our duty to become "co-conspirators," as Love writes, and advocate for communities of color. We must work to abolish the systems that perpetuate racism and harm, and create an equitable education system that truly serves all students, regardless of their race or background.

I work in education, so this was a disheartening read, as to be expected. I admittedly had a hard time grasping all the content and will definitely be doing further research to make sure I fully comprehend all the book addresses. It's great that a light is being shined on this.

As with all of the work that has come before from this author and scholar, Bettina L. Love writes with an honest and evidence-based look at how race, culture, and identity intersect with education and equity. This is a clearly-written exploration, and one to be shared with students, educators, and policymakers. An ideal read for thoughtful professional development in breaking down systems and policies that disenfranchise.

This is the story of struggle. Layers of rugged paths overlaid with even more hardship generation after generation. It is a story of power, both great and small. Those who have the greater power fear losing it and will fight by any means necessary to retain it for themselves and their children. And those who would pull themselves up by sheer force of will and determination. Black America has been vilified, shamed, and blamed in our educational system for failures that have come from exclusionary policies. It’s time to let Black America claim the educational and financial power that generations have worked hard to achieve. By making changes that include more black representation among teachers, cultural understanding, and better funding for predominantly black schools, the wrongs of the past can be righted and the future can be brighter for everyone.