News from Thornbriar Press
Jonathan Grant’s timely, poignant tale of war between a PTA president and a grade school principal has struck a chord with both parents and educators as well as critics. In addition to receiving praise from reviewers, Chain Gang Elementary is “Required Reading” in the current issue of PTO Today. To get an idea of the novel’s bite, check out this excerpt on The Standard Hightower Intellachievement Test.
“I tell people that writing the novel was my revenge for having to read Lord of the Flies in high school,” the Atlanta author modestly explains. But there’s more to the book than that.
Here’s just some of the praise being given to Chain Gang Elementary:
“This book is the show ‘Desperate Housewives’ wishes it could be.” – Indie Books List- “Grant provides trenchant criticisms of educational policy … (with) acerbic wit.” – Publishers Weekly
- “Exceptionally well-written.” – John Pearson, teacher and author of Learn Me Good
- “Those who have written education columns for newspapers, survivors of parent/teacher organizations as well as many others will find that Grant has done an exceptional job of weaving educational fact and enticing fiction together. For that, he deserves an ‘A.’”—Jack Kennedy, former president, Education Writers Association
- “Truth or fiction: Chain Gang Elementary cuts too close to reality. A novel that reads like daily news.” – Diane Ravitch
Book Description: After a murder at Bonaire Elementary, Richard and Anna Lee Gray seek a good school for their son Nick in a safe neighborhood. Their search leads them to Malliford, a “school of excellence.” When redistricting sends scores of minority students to Malliford, iron-willed Principal Estelle Rutherford declares war on kids to raise test scores and save her reputation. Dissident parents revolt, electing Richard to head the Parent-Teacher Organization, and tensions explode. Welcome to Chain Gang Elementary, home to vast right-wing conspiracies, 3rd-grade gangsters, and bake sale embezzlers–where toxic childhood secrets boil over, reformers go stark raving mad, and culture wars escalate into armed conflict.
Chain Gang Elementary
A Novel by Jonathan Grant
Paperback/eBook
Thornbriar Press
ISBN 978-0-9834921-0-8 eBook ISBN: 978-0-9834921-1-5
Contemporary Fiction
Available wherever books are sold
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