A Life-Changing Teacher, His World-Changing Kids, and the Most Inventive Classroom in America
by Heather Won Tesoriero
Readers' rating:
Published Sep 2018
448 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
An unforgettable year in the life of a visionary high school science teacher and his award-winning students, as they try to get into college, land a date for the prom ... and possibly change the world.
Andy Bramante left his successful career as a corporate scientist to teach public high school—and now helms one of the most remarkable classrooms in America. Bramante's unconventional class at Connecticut's prestigious yet diverse Greenwich High School has no curriculum, tests, textbooks, or lectures, and is equal parts elite research lab, student counseling office, and teenage hangout spot. United by a passion to learn, Mr. B.'s band of whiz kids set out every year to conquer the brutally competitive science fair circuit. They have won the top prize at the Google Science Fair, made discoveries that eluded scientists three times their age, and been invited to the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm.
A former Emmy-winning producer for CBS News, Heather Won Tesoriero embeds in this dynamic class to bring Andy and his gifted, all-too-human kids to life—including William, a prodigy so driven that he's trying to invent diagnostics for artery blockage and Alzheimer's (but can't quite figure out how to order a bagel); Ethan, who essentially outgrows high school in his junior year and founds his own company to commercialize a discovery he made in the class; Sophia, a Lyme disease patient whose ambitious work is dedicated to curing her own debilitating ailment; Romano, a football player who hangs up his helmet to pursue his secret science expertise and develop a "smart" liquid bandage; and Olivia, whose invention of a fast test for Ebola brought her science fair fame and an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
We experience the thrill of discovery, the heartbreak of failed endeavors, and perhaps the ultimate high: a yes from Harvard. Moving, funny, and utterly engrossing, The Class is a superb account of hard work and high spirits, a stirring tribute to how essential science is in our schools and our lives, and a heartfelt testament to the power of a great teacher to help kids realize their unlimited potential.
"With its winning mix of human-interest and scientific innovation, this book will appeal to general readers and fans of pop science alike." - Publishers Weekly
"Bramante, unlike so many exceptional teachers, gets the attention he rightly deserves. Mr. Wizard meets Sweet Valley High in a fly-on-the-wall look at some of the future scientists of America." - Kirkus Reviews
"With the turn of every page, we see the joys of discovery and the immense satisfaction this brings to Andy Bramante, who made a life choice that transforms his students' lives every day." - Walter Isaacson, author of the New York Times bestseller Steve Jobs
"Both teacher and students will surely teach you many things, but perhaps more important than the lessons is the sheer wonder inhabiting these pages. In its light you will be transported to a place and time of life when the simple desire to reach for the undiscovered can lead to remarkable achievements. This book is a remarkable achievement." - Jeff Hobbs, author of the New York Times bestseller The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace
"I expected this book to be well researched and compelling, which it is, but I never expected it to be so funny. Heather Won Tesoriero's breezy, even whimsical voice coupled with her off-the-charts emotional intelligence and stunning powers of observation launches The Class into one of its own." - Jonathan LaPook, M.D., chief medical correspondent, CBS News
"Readers will be heartened to meet these innovative students of science, who tackle big-time projects with a gusto and creativity that give one hope that they will solve problems no other generations have been able to tackle. And any school would be lucky to have their devoted teacher, who illustrates how hard teachers work—and how rewarding their efforts can be." - Alexandra Robbins, New York Times bestselling author of The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth and The Overachievers
"Teachers can change lives... Heather Won Tesoriero captures the magic of one unforgettable science teacher and his brilliant students." - Hakeem Oluseyi, NASA astrophysicist, educator, and TV personality (Discovery, Science Channel)
This information about The Class was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Heather Won Tesoriero was an Emmy-winning producer for CBS News and has been a reporter at The Wall Street Journal, Time, and Newsweek. A Korean adoptee who was discovered on a doorstep when she was just a few days old, she grew up on the eastern end of Long Island and now lives in New York City with her husband and two young daughters.
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