The authors of this book have outstanding credentials on which to base this joint venture. Eggers is the founder of 826 Valencia, a nonprofit tutoring and writing lab that now has centers in San Francisco, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Calgari is the founding executive director of 826 Valencia. Moulthrop is a former teacher and holds a master’s degree in Journalism.

The work consists of thirteen chapters, and an interesting Afterword by Dave Eggers. The book begins with a two-part introduction. The first part directly addresses one of the major issues dealt with in the book – the myth that teachers have it easy. The second part examines the tendency for many teachers to leave teaching in order to become involved with other business matters.

Section One is entitled “The Strange and Incredible Lives of your Children’s Teachers”. Four issues are discussed regarding this aspect of the subject. The first of these is the frequency with which many teachers have “extra jobs”. One reason for this, of course, is the inability of educators to live on their salaries as teachers. Chapter Two discusses how many educators need to live in towns other than where they teach. Some cannot afford to live where they work, while others choose to live elsewhere for reasons of safety or privacy. In Chapter Three, the authors provides an in depth treatment of the effect of inadequate salaries on the teaching profession.

In Section II of the book the authors devote four chapters to examining the characteristics of effective teachers. First is chapter five “To Be a Teacher” followed by chapter six that deals with the job issue of “Teaching Bell to Bell”. Some teachers have become known for ending their classroom work prior to the end of the period. Their reputation quickly spreads, first to the students and eventually, to some of the parents through the echoing of their children. The authors assert that this practice can cause teachers to be viewed negatively by the public. Chapter seven provides an account of an actual day in the life of a teacher and is then followed up by a separate chapter addressing a question that is often heard. “So why do they bother?” is its title and intelligent answers to the query are offered.

The third section is “Buying In, Selling Out, Losing Faith”. Persons who have experience in teaching will easily relate to many of the issues described by the authors. Here it is obvious that the writers are indeed experienced teachers.

In the final section, the central matter of salary is dealt with in an informative and objective manner. “Success in Reform” is the theme of Chapter Twelve. Over fifty pages are devoted to this crucial aspect of modern public education. Chapter 13 addresses the fact that many so called educational reforms are ill conceived, thus resulting in their ultimate failure.

The authors also support the idea that successful schools come about only with suitable funding. There is an appropriate ending to this section with an aptly titled chapter “Pay Now or Later”. The implication of course is that children who are inadequately schooled could end up being drags on society in their adult years. All too often the blame is placed on the backs of the teachers.

An Afterword by Dave Eggers provides an additional dimension of breadth and depth to the book. In the back of the book, there is a twenty page treatment of the subject “About the Teachers” that is well thought out. Next is a listing of innovative schools, districts, and unions. A useful eight-page listing of recommended reading is provided next. A listing of research organizations is included, as are periodicals relative to the subject of teaching. The authors “Notes” are provided for those in search of more details regarding certain topics in the book. The Index is will thought out and indeed useful to readers. The book is well written, relevant to the subject, and easy to read.

This book review was contributed by Lynne M. Gilli, Program Manager of Career and Technology Education in the Maryland State Department of Education in Baltimore, Maryland, and Angelo C. Gilli, retired.