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Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 06/2016
  • 9781533202024
  • 480 pages
  • $16.99
John Prather
Author
The Adminisphere
John Prather, author
Greg Samson is a brand-new teacher at a brand-new high school in a wealthy suburb of Phoenix. While he finds teaching to be a noble profession, his hard work and persistence are no match for the irrelevant decisions and absurd policies which fall from The Adminisphere. The perpetrators are countless: a tyrannical principal; the revolving door of Superintendents; administrators with their own agendas; meddling parents and expensive lawyers to whom the District invariably capitulates; pointless meetings, overvalued football coaches, ridiculous expectations, and many more. Tormented by bizarre dreams and plagued by self-doubt, Greg must balance his idealism against the absurdity, a journey he shares with colleagues but navigates on his own unique terms. This satirical look at the world of education is bound to make you laugh, but will also make you think about public schools today.
Plot/Idea: 3 out of 10
Originality: 5 out of 10
Prose: 8 out of 10
Character/Execution: 8 out of 10
Overall: 6.00 out of 10

Assessment:

Anyone who misses high school should not miss this well told story of a young teacher finding his way through the bureaucracy and frustration of a public high school system. Despite the protagonist's name -- which is similar to one of Franz Kafka's more famous characters -- the story stays relatively grounded in reality with strong prose and well crafted characters.

Date Submitted: August 30, 2016

Reviews
Amazon.com reader

A biting critique of what is working and what is not working in education today.

Amazon.com reader

Balances clever deadpan humor (I laughed out loud several times) alongside a serious examination of the modern education system. Anyone who has ever taught, or dealt with school administration (or, really, any administration) will sympathetically nod their head from start to finish, and anyone who hasn’t will gain a better understanding of why it’s so difficult to get education policy and practice right. The author fills the book with great characters and dialogue, and keeps the tone light despite the constant presence of increasingly Kafkaesque obstacles.

Amazon.com reader

This is a terrific novel.  It made me laugh; it made me angry; it made me think.

Amazon.com reader

Hilarious and thought-provoking.

Kirkus Reviews

Debut author Prather has a real talent for comedic writing, and he possesses a deep knowledge of the obstacles that public education faces today, including those created by overzealous parents. ... Prather is clearly influenced by Franz Kafka’s work, ... and he follows that author’s footsteps in ably lampooning technocratic hubris. (Kirkus Reviews)

Formats
Paperback Book Details
  • 06/2016
  • 9781533202024
  • 480 pages
  • $16.99
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