A Hope in the Unseen: An American Odyssey from the Inner City to the Ivy League Audiobook

" Very useful for discussing the transition to college and disparities in America. "

" Suskind seems to draw some pretty broad conclusions from individuals in this one. Still, he describes some very compelling characters, Cedric Jennings (his mother, a few other family members, and friends from school), who was one of the only students to attend an Ivy from Ballou in a decade. "

" Suskind writes superb literary non-fiction: you see Cedric's experience through his eyes, and you also see through his mother's eyes, and a few of his classmates. Important book for anyone who cares about education, the equity gap, poverty in our urban areas--and just a strong story about the human spirit. "

" This was a beautiful look into an urban African-American male's inner journey from high school to the Ivy League. There were parts that made me weep as I considered the plight of African Americans in the urban core. I was totally rooting for Cedric. This is a must read for anyone to gain understanding into this segment of our society. "

" Great insight into the life of a inner city kid struggling to succeed. Surprising Ann Arbor/Ypsi connection in the afterward. "

" Such an excellent and well documented journey! "

" Fabulous story yet chilling account of one young man's intrepid journey through the DC public school system "

" A look at an inner city boy who goes on to attend Brown University. "

" I read this book about 13 years ago around the time it was first published. it's such an inspiring true story. I'd be interested in reading it again to see how far we've come in addressing race, class and education. "

" This was such an interesting and satisfying book! It's easy to read and I found myself (silently) cheering for Cedric Jennings. "

" Not a flashy book but a solid true story. It gave me another reason to admire kids who just try harder against big odds. "

" A story of a kid growing up in the poor, black area of DC that is determined to go to an Ivy League School and what he has to undertake to reach his goal. "

" wonderfully told, compelling story of a young man's journey from Ballou High School in DC to Brown. Gets to the core of why we work so hard at Higher Achievement. We will be honoring Ron Suskind (author) at our benefit this year. "

" This was fantastic - I highly recommend it. "

" Excellent book. I highly recommend it to everyone, especially educators. "

" I'm giving this book 4 stars because I feel it merits that rating, but I didn't love it in the way I've loved other books with that rating. It was a slow read, like a newspaper (it was written by a journalist), but it had a lot of depth, was very thought provoking, and felt real. "

" i read a review of this in the paper and decided to read it. it's a good narrative of the journey. "

" What a wonderful book. Not sappy. Realism w/o condescension. "

" A stunning powerful book that offers a glimpse into a life of a dreamer. A story of faith and belief that moved me to tears "

" Very moving story of an African American young man growing up in the inner city in hopes to achieve academic excellence when many pressures fighting against him. A real and honest story that inspires. "

" One of my favorites. A book about a teen in inner-city DC who is basically the only kid in his neighborhood to go to college. The contrast between his two lives is stark and riveting. "

" This might have been an okay book except for a few things --- it was tremendously long....and predictable. I could have read the first few chapters and the last and easily filled in everything in between and it wouldn't have taken me as many pages as this book did to do it. "

" Almost a five star! Definitely recommended! Basically it's a TJ nerd in Southeast DC. "

" Incredibly powerful story of an inner city kid, Cedric, and his path to the ivy league. "

" One of my all time favorites.... "

" A book everyone should read! I haven given this book as a gift, and will continue to make sure I always have a copy on my bookshelf. "

" I thought the book was an awesome story of hard times to triumph. Easy read, could not put it down. "

" Best book I've read in a while. Enjoyable to read. It's also a fast read. "

" A great back to school read! "

" I'm giving this book 4 stars because I feel it merits that rating, but I didn't love it in the way I've loved other books with that rating. It was a slow read, like a newspaper (it was written by a journalist), but it had a lot of depth, was very thought provoking, and felt real. "