Measured, intelligent, and quietly powerful.
Chanko’s compelling novel is a thoughtful and grounded portrayal of teaching at its most demanding. When Mr. J arrives at P.S. 961, he is determined to reach students others have written off. His connection with Kandra, a perceptive but troubled teenager hungry for attention, grows increasingly complex. As her attachment deepens and administrative support falters, the space between mentorship and misstep begins to narrow.
Chanko rejects sentimentality for hard truth and delivers a piercing look at the American public education system. Set in 2007, the story follows teachers and students inside a bureaucracy that is both fragile and deeply human. Through multiple perspectives, it reveals how idealism collides with trauma, volatility, and institutional inertia. The author draws his characters with understanding and empathy. Mr. J’s sorrow is not incidental; it shapes the way he sees his students and the intensity with which he tries to reach them. Kandra becomes the emotional fault line of the story. Mr. J’s attempt to offer stability grows complicated as her hunger for attention tests limits he struggles to enforce. Chanko neither excuses nor vilifies; instead, he positions their closeness within a structure already weakened by systemic tension.
The school feels real and fully inhabited. Leadership is weary, not cruel; Mr. Cody’s distance reflects years of compromise. Shirley senses crisis but lacks power to stop it. Faculty navigate loyalty and self-preservation, and the undercurrent of liability and reputation rings true. The novel gains its depth from refusing easy blame. Students aren’t reduced to diagnoses, and teachers aren’t cast as heroes or villains. Chanko examines how grief, ambition, and exhaustion intersect in a high-pressure environment, where the line between compassion and overreach can blur quickly. Classroom volatility mirrors adult instability, creating steady tension. The prose remains controlled and perceptive, balancing psychological confrontation with quieter moments that reveal the emotional toll of working in a system that offers little protection.
By shifting across viewpoints, the narrative deepens its complexity, resisting any simple version of events. In the end, the book stands as a grounded portrayal of teaching—often politicized, rarely rendered with this level of nuance. Chanko balances institutional critique with individual responsibility, revealing how fragile even the best motives become under pressure. Fans of Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller and Trust Exercise by Susan Choi will want to take a look. A triumph!
Pub date November 14, 2025
ISBN 979-8886798616
Luminare Press
Print length 318 pages
Price $33.70 (USD) Paperback, $6.99 Kindle edition
