After seeing the trailer for "Freedom Writers," about an idealistic young teacher in an inner-city school, "people might think, 'I've seen this genre before,' " says Erin Gruwell, "but I think it's ...

There’s one major thing wrong with Freedom Writers: Hilary Swank reminding us that before she was an A-lister, she was The Next Karate Kid. Swank waxes on the enthusiasm a bit thick in this run-of-the ...

Erin Gruwell, whose story is told in Richard LaGravenese’s movie “Freedom Writers,” is a quiet American hero. An idealistic young teacher at Wilson High School in Long Beach, Calif., she encountered ...

MTV Productions has become a surrealist artisan master at exploiting the nation’s youth, and “Freedom Writers” is a prime example. The story of a Caucasian woman turned inspirational saint to ...

At age 5, she witnessed her cousin being shot five times. At 7, she pulled the needle from her uncle's arm after he overdosed. At 11, Maria Reyes became a third-generation gang member. "I stand before ...

Chales Mims, 17, a junior at Denfeld High School, has a compelling story to tell. Though right now she’s keeping it a secret with a small group of people, next year millions of people will be able to ...

Last month, I wrote about a Crete student whose essay on mental health was published in "Dear Freedom Writers," the newly released sequel to the original "Freedom Writers Diary." The student learned ...

When the book “The Freedom Writers Diary” burst on the scene in 1999, sharing the experiences of teacher Erin Gruwell and her Wilson High School English classes, it uncovered both the pain and the ...