Title: The Accidental Educator: Life-Defining Stories of Rites and Wrongs
Author: Eric Reno
Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
ISBN: 978-1662932250
Pages: 262
Genre: Non-Fiction/Biographies/Memoirs
Reviewer: Anthony Avina
Hollywood Book Reviews
There are many careers in life that are rewarding, satisfying, and enriching for people to take on, in addition to being well respected in society. Yet one profession which has time and again been both recognized as a necessity and beloved profession, also under appreciated by many, is the field of education. From elementary school teachers to college administrators and so many more, the education profession shapes so much of the world and understanding the struggle and evolution of what the education profession has become is vital to growing and cultivating a society built on the morals society attempts to live by.
It is through that field that author Eric Reno brings readers to the book The Accidental Educator: Life-Defining Stories of Rites and Wrongs. The book explores the author’s life, blending a memoir style of storytelling to relive the life-defining experiences and struggles that shaped his path in life towards becoming an educator. From years spent in the UK during a career in the Air Force to living through profound historical events and discovering a passion for the education system, the author shares the experiences that shaped his life and serves as a guide for anyone passionate about education.
The sheer wealth of information, detail, and heart the author poured into this book was both memorable and engaging as a reader to behold. The life experience the author had from a young age, sharing life in a segregated school and the harsh realities of racism and sexual discrimination, as well as the history the author lived through and engaged with both during his time in the Air Force and back home as an educator is so rich and vibrant that the reader was easily swept away in the author’s life. The writing style of the author’s work is memorable, in many ways coming across almost lyrically and creatively, and yet sharing a warmth that is very conversational in direction, almost as if the reader and the author are in a heartfelt dialogue with one another.
Any reader who enjoys non-fiction memoirs, especially with a focus on education, history, culture, and even the development of community colleges specifically, will absolutely love this book. The honesty with which the author relayed their experiences, from the difference in culture and behavior in America versus the UK, to meeting profound historical and celebrity figures like Dave Brubeck and Carmen McRae, allowed me to connect with the author easily. The respect and insight paid to both the good and the bad events which shaped his own life, and the wisdom those experiences brought to life, made this a worthy and engaging book to delve into.