Searching for Hope

"An even-more-compelling version of the saga Tully chronicled in his Manual Project."

~Indianapolis Monthly

"While the book offers no unfamiliar insight into the plight of urban schools, it does give a powerful, ultimately genuine voice to the complicated, imperfect individuals whose victories and hopes are often unreported."

~Publishers Weekly

"[T]his keen observation of teens at a troubled high school makes for fascinating reading. (Dare to finish with dry eyes the chapter about a holiday concert.) "

~Library Journal

"A gritty, wonderfully honest investigation of life in an urban American high school in the 21st century. The despair, the apathy, the misplaced anger, the frustrations and fights for something better are all there. The school in Indianapolis where Tully spent so much time is close to what I have found in many big cities, but few reporters have gone as deep as Tully has."

~Jay Mathews, Washington Post education columnist and author of Work Hard, Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America

"Every reform-minded educator, parent, and politician should read this book. It will change the way they think about what's really needed to help every student in a struggling school achieve his or her full potential."

~Gerardo M. González, Dean, School of Education, Indiana University Bloomington

"With a great mix of storytelling and analysis, Matthew Tully puts a human face on the statistics we're bombarded with about the decline of education in our cities. In equal parts brutally honest and surprisingly uplifting, Searching for Hope . . . is required reading for anyone attempting to understand or address the problems of urban education in the United States."

~Jonathan Plucker, Director of the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy, Indiana University Bloomington