Celebrating Moral Clarity – A Book Club Invitation
There are few more occasions for celebration than the publication of a new book by civil rights activist, educator, and National Book Award-winning author Jonathan Kozol. For six decades, Kozol has given voice to children, particularly those deprived of the benefits, dignity, and opportunity society lavishes on the affluent. Everyone needs to read Kozol, regardless of where you live or your socio-economic status. His work will move you to think, feel, and act. Kozol is also a spectacular writer.
Perhaps you were required to read Savage Inequalities in college, but if you are unfamiliar with Kozol’s genius and gorgeous prose, you have a lot of catching up to do. Of all his books, my personal favorite is Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope. This is a beautiful meditation on the innocence of childhood and the depravity of a world seemingly content with squandering the potential of every kid. It is a deeply spiritual book that I cannot recommend more highly.
Kozol says that at 89 years-old, this is his final book. That news makes We Shall Not Bow Down even more urgent. In this short book, Kozol explores the pedagogical cruelty imposed on our most vulnerable citizens. In 1964, Rhodes Scholar Jonathan Kozol learned of the assassination of civil rights workers, Goodman, Schwerner, and Chaney, and asked to teach in one of Boston’s segregated schools. Within a year, he was charged with “curricula deviation” and fired for reading a Langston Hughes poem to 4th graders. This led to his first book, Death at an Early Age, a National Book Award winner, and embrace by patriots like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For more than six decades, Kozol has fearlessly given voice to American school children and their teachers.
This book does not only pertain to the American context. Sadly, the pedagogical practices Kozol illuminates are increasingly found in all sorts of schools across the globe. We Shall Not Bow Down is a must-read for any educator or person concerned with the fate of children.
Join the Book Club Discussion – May 19th
Buy Kozol’s new book, read the book, and join colleagues online 7 PM Eastern, 4 PM Pacific on May 19th for a virtual book club discussion. A Zoom link will be sent 24 hours prior to the meeting.
Paired texts – Champions for children
While on the subject of moral clarity, it seems impossible that we lost the great educator, Carla Rinaldi one year ago. Like Jonathan Kozol, Carla Rinaldi also participated in Constructing Modern Knowledge and had a profound impact on my life. Sharing the two of them with other educators fills me with pride and gratitude. My remembrance of Carla and her life’s work may be found here.
Jonathan Kozol resources
- Jonathan Kozol Speaks Out (Gary Stager’s District Administration 2000 interview in conjunction with the publication of Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope )
- Jonathan Kozol Takes on the World (Gary Stager’s 2006 District Administration interview following the publication of The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Education in America)
- Video of Jonathan Kozol’s presentation at Constructing Modern Knowledge
- Video of Kozol’s remarkable testimony at the Plessy vs. Ferguson centennial
- Gary Stager’s video of Jonathan Kozol and Mr. Rogers speaking at the American Montessori Society
- Jonathan Kozol at Pepperdine University (video)
Carla Rinaldi resources
- Carla Rinaldi videos and books may be found here.
It’s not too late!
Join us in Reggio Emilia June 15-19, 2026 for The Language of Computation – Constructing Modern Knowledge in Reggio Emilia! It is not too late to register for the 5-day learning event of a lifetime.
Learn more here