{"product_id":"2940152420739","title":"Los Angeles, 1968: Happy Ranch to Watts","description":"\u003cp\u003eWeeks before the assassination of Martin Luther King,\u003cbr\u003eAllen Greene, a directionless young white man who never intended\u003cbr\u003eto be a teacher, finds himself in a Watts classroom, standing\u003cbr\u003ebefore thirty black seventh-grade girls. After a trial-by-fire\u003cbr\u003efirst day that includes run-ins with violent students and ominous\u003cbr\u003ewarnings from faculty members, Allen doubts his ability to follow\u003cbr\u003ethrough on the whole venture. He finds some encouragement from\u003cbr\u003eunexpected places: a teen mother who is unjustly accused of\u003cbr\u003estriking a teacher, a low-achieving gang member with an unexpected\u003cbr\u003egift for poetry, and an elderly teacher with a commitment to social\u003cbr\u003ejustice who takes Allen under her wing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs he builds a rapport with students as a tough-but-fair teacher,\u003cbr\u003eAllen's outside-the-box approach evokes antagonism from some faculty\u003cbr\u003emembers, especially his department chairman, whose has a vile secret\u003cbr\u003ethat adds a mini-mystery to the plot. As pressure builds both inside\u003cbr\u003eand out of school, Allen joins some students and teachers in peaceful\u003cbr\u003eprotests while gangs and vandals run wild. After Dr. King is\u003cbr\u003eassassinated, the increased tension leads to dramatic showdowns for\u003cbr\u003eAllen, who finds both an unlikely savior and an unexpected calling.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot another oversimplified feel-good story of \"white teacher saves\u003cbr\u003ethe ghetto,\" Los Angeles, 1968: Happy Ranch to Watts is a\u003cbr\u003enovel based on first-hand experience and real events in a volatile\u003cbr\u003eurban setting, a slice-of-life account of a young man's gradual\u003cbr\u003ematuration toward personal commitment.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Pen-L Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47110566346992,"sku":"2940152420739","price":4.97,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940152420739_p0.jpg?v=1764020055","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940152420739","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}