Common Ground

Welcome to the GBJCL Bookclub! In this blog series, I’ll be posting monthly reflections on books I’ve enjoyed as I continue to explore and think about the education of children in our country. Please join in the conversation, even if you have not read the book, on Facebook or below. I also welcome book suggestions for the future.  If my reading, writing or thinking reminds you of something interesting you’ve read I’d love to learn about it.

This month’s book is Common Ground: A Turbulent Decade in the Lives of Three American Families by J. Anthony Lukas.

I chose to read Common Ground because I was looking to learn more about the history of desegregation and court-ordered busing in the city of Boston. The book is an in-depth exploration of three families who lived in Boston in the 1970s: The Yankee Divers, the Irish McGoffs, and the African American Twymons. Through the book, I learned how each family experienced busing differently due to race and class, and about the complex dynamics of race, class, and education which persist today in our city.

To read about the story that stood out to me from that book, and to find out what next month’s book will be, visit our blog.


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