THE SHAME OF THE NATION

One of the best chroniclers of American education is at it again, and the message is not encouraging. Fifty years after the Brown decision, urban schools are still segregated, subjected to curricula that ignore teacher creativity, and tested in the same way that more affluent, mostly white suburban schools carry out assessment. Narrator Robertson Dean is magnificent as Kozol’s voice. His rumbling baritone conveys the ominous tone inherent in the text, but he also injects a hopeful lightness to his reading when we hear about urban teachers who fight the bureaucracy and effectively teach children. Dean uses exceptional pacing, and he interprets the author’s words with authority and passion. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: APR/ MAY 06]