When Joshua Steckel left his job as college counselor at an elite private school for a public high school in Brooklyn, he discovered that for low-income students, the competitive game of college admissions has different rules and much higher stakes. In a riveting work of narrative nonfiction, Hold Fast to Dreams follows the challenges and triumphs of ten of Josh’s students getting to and through college. Mike lives in a homeless shelter, caring for his brothers while his mother battles cancer; Nkese defies low expectations to become a campus leader at Bates College; Ashley is accepted to Williams College but decides she can better pursue her goals — and stay closer to her mother — at a community college in Manhattan. Through their stories — and Josh’s—Hold Fast to Dreams offers a gripping portrait of what it takes to overcome barriers to higher education and make good on its promise of opportunity. This book will change the way you think about the meaning and value of college. A must-read for all who care about the right to education in America.
Nonfiction
Hold Fast to Dreams: A College Guidance Counselor, His Students, and the Vision of a Life Beyond Poverty
- From the Publisher
May 20, 2015
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