Holler If You Hear Me, Comic Edition

This graphic memoir of teaching in urban America is a brilliant reimagining of the classic text by Gregory Michie, Holler If You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students. Michie is joined by illustrator Ryan Alexander-Tanner and 10 artists—most of them young people of color—to bring a fresh, vibrant energy to the original tale of struggle and hope in the classroom. First published in 1999, the text has become one of the most enduring teacher memoirs of our time. Using comics to tell the story, this edition weaves back and forth, like the original, between Michie’s awakening as a young teacher and the first-person stories of his students. Set in 1990s Chicago, but startlingly relevant today, this powerful adaptation of a long-time educator favorite is sure to inspire a new generation of teachers, students, and anyone who is concerned about the future of public education.

“It is a great and marvelous thing to be reminded that to change the world we need only to change ourselves. Greg Michie and his students give me that hope.”
—Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street

“Individually and as a collection, these stories remind educators of their primary purpose: to fully see the young people they teach with and learn from each day. Interpreted and adapted by a group of incredible young artists, this new edition is a particular gift to those eager to see with young people, shifting our lens toward empathy and justice as we learn the value of seeing school through their eyes.”
—Carla Shalaby, Coordinator of Social Justice Initiatives and Community Internships, University of Michigan School of Education

“What moved me when I first read Holler years ago as a new teacher, and moves me even more now with the new graphic novel, is Greg’s willingness to keep listening to young people, to keep valuing their inherent brilliance, and to keep seeking ways to make his instruction respond directly to relevant issues. I cannot wait to share Holler If You Hear Me, Comic Edition.”
—Kim Parker, cofounder of #DisruptTexts, and assistant director of the Teacher Training Center at the Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts