This is not a book that is designed to inspire potential teachers, it is indeed a cautionary tale. Teaching Frankenstein takes an alternate look at the darker side of education. Our narrator is a teacher in “one of the worst schools in the district,” in his words. This memoir tells the story of a teacher in his second year at an inner-city school, when he finds that he isn’t given a curriculum. Feeling overwhelmed, he is inspired by one of his favorite novels: Frankenstein. He resolves that he will teach it to his students. I was drawn into this book and finished it rapidly, eager to see how the journey through the school year would conclude.

I was satisfied by the ending and understood why the author made the choices he did. Clearly, this was someone who wanted to positively impact students and

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ultimately left teaching due to school administration and other factors.

I give the author a lot of credit for showing up each day in the face of conditions that others might have balked at. I admired that he was able to finish the novel with his students and managed to hang onto (most of) his sanity along the way.

Although our narrator was an English teacher, don’t expect flowing prose. It could have benefited from a bit more proofreading. The author’s voice comes through clearly and authentically, at times it felt like one was listening to a conversation. He is relentlessly open about his fears, anxieties, and hopes. It was refreshing to read about other educators in the school and how their experiences contrasted with the narrator’s journey.

While not an encouraging or optimistic read, it is an important one. Teaching Frankenstein is a brutally honest testament to what education can look like in schools today for both educators and students. Thank you to Goodreads giveaways, the author, and publisher for giving me a free copy of Teaching Frankenstein in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.