Chain Gang Elementary

By Jonathan Grant

After a murder at Bonaire Elementary, Richard and Anna Lee Gray seek a good school for their son Nick in a safe neighborhood. Their search leads them to Malliford, a ”school of excellence.” When redistricting sends scores of minority students to Malliford, iron-willed Principal Estelle Rutherford declares war on kids to raise test scores and save her reputation. Dissident parents revolt, electing Richard to head the Parent-Teacher Organization, and tensions explode. Welcome to Chain Gang Elementary, home to vast right-wing conspiracies, 3rd-grade gangsters, and bake sale embezzlers–where toxic childhood secrets boil over, reformers go stark raving mad, and culture wars escalate into armed conflict.

* * *

ON HONORS DAY, Alicia Rodriguez sobbed and searched the crowd for a friendly face. She found Richard Gray and gazed at him plaintively.
They both knew the deal. He had coaxed her off the bus on the first day of school. Malliford was great, he told her. She would make lots of friends. But those were lies. Now the seven-year-old was in tears, publicly humiliated. How could he allow this after making such promises?

And there he had it: The little girl was a human sacrifice to test scores, and her treatment was a brutal refutation to Miz Rutherford’s clichés about diversity. This was wrong, and Richard had to do something, even if it was loud and stupid.

It was a Popeye moment. Richard couldn’t stand any more. If he’d had a can of spinach, he would have swallowed it in one gulp. Instead of a whistle blast from a corncob pipe, there was a scratchy squeak of chair legs as he stood. Three hundred people in the auditorium turned to stare
at the PTO president, wondering what the crazy fool who used a yo-yofor a gavel would do next.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jonathan Grant
• Release date: Jun 26, 2011
• ISBN: 9780983492115

Jonathan Grant

Jonathan Grant is the award-winning co-author and editor of The Way It Was in the South: The Black Experience in Georgia (University of Georgia Press). Currently, he publishes georgiacollegesblog.com, a news website covering educational issues. His first novel, Chain Gang Elementary, will be available soon. Grant grew up on a Midwestern farm and graduated cum laude from the University of Georgia with a degree in English. He is a former newspaper reporter, editor, and bureau chief with The Macon Telegraph. He also served as a Georgia state government spokesman for six years. He lives in suburban Atlanta with his wife and two children. Actively involved in community affairs, he has served as PTA president at a five-star Georgia School of Excellence, an elected member of his local school council, and as a soccer coach for twelve seasons.

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Reviews for Chain Gang Elementary

[ilex011 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I'm glad I stuck with it. School politics, corrupt PTAs, intrigue and suspicion- it's all here in the backdrop of an elementary school. A very unique plot and perspective provides the foundation of realistic and believable characters and characterizations. If you enjoy thrillers, this is quite a different take on what you think is a familiar theme! Very enjoyable and recommended. I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

[randal37 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was not really expecting this type of book when I started reading it. I did like the main character for the most part and it was easy to understand where he was coming from. I did have a difficult time keeping interested into the book because it mostly revolves around the politics of the school. I will have to say that the book did have a fast and interesting ending that I really did enjoy.

[lizamichelle1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I do not think I will ever join a PTO after reading this novel! The politics involved, the backstabbing, the affairs, the arrests and the children caught in the middle. Oh, did I forget the mild racism?I bet this type of thing goes on almost all the PTOs at schools where it is the pinnacle of excellence in comparison to other schools in its district.Sometimes you have to move away... Awesome book! Would recommend.