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To Sir, with Love cover art

To Sir, with Love

By: E. R. Braithwaite
Narrated by: Ben Onwukwe
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Summary

With opportunities for black men limited in post-World War II London, Rick Braithwaite, a former Royal Air Force pilot and Cambridge-educated engineer, accepts a teaching position that puts him in charge of a class of angry, unmotivated, bigoted white teenagers whom the system has mostly abandoned. When his efforts to reach these troubled students are met with threats, suspicion, and derision, Braithwaite takes a radical new approach. He will treat his students as people poised to enter the adult world. He will teach them to respect themselves and to call him Sir. He will open up vistas before them that they never knew existed. And, over the course of a remarkable year, he will touch the lives of his students in extraordinary ways - even as they, in turn, unexpectedly and profoundly touch his.

Based on actual events in the author's life, To Sir, with Love is a powerfully moving story that celebrates courage, commitment, and vision and that inspired the classic film starring Sidney Poitier.

©1959 E.R. Braithwaite (P)2017 Dreamscape Media, LLC

What listeners say about To Sir, with Love

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Much better than I remember from school

Much better than I remember from school. 35 years later & it is a better read now that Im mature. An intense & graphic depiction of post war poverty & school life struggles. Shocking racism & too many comments about breasts but thats the way it was then. Which makes it a must read in our personal fight against prejudice & education in compassion.

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One of my new favourite books

I remember watching the film as a little girl but had no idea this was such a beautifully written story.

Ben Onwukwe is a wonderful calming narrator with a glorious depth to his voice. I fell in love with Sir and all his students. Moved to tears at the end

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reclaimed youth

this a book I had to read while I was in primary school, and did not fully understand it then.. having a chance to go through it now has given me the greater insight of the difficulties of the time and its impact on my own life. a book that I would recommend to any teacher to read as an example into how to change children's lives

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Fabulous, timeless

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I’ve heard of but never seen the film. Thank goodness I didn’t bother but went straight for the book. What an amazing piece of literature. The performance by Ben Onwukwe is flawless. All the characters are rich and the story itself, hard to accept as a reality in 20th century England, is sad, outrageous, funny, sensitive, shocking and heart warming all at once. I’m an English teacher and I will recommend this to every student I can persuade to read (they’re reluctant readers these days). This should be on everyone’s reading bucket list.

What other book might you compare To Sir, with Love to, and why?

I would categorise this book with The Help, Anita and Me, Brick Lane, The Colour Purple and Hidden Figures, all of which are brilliant and tackle bigotry and the perspective of the marginalised and persecuted. Braithwaite is not self pitying, he is dignified, intelligent, engaging and irresistible.

Have you listened to any of Ben Onwukwe’s other performances? How does this one compare?

I haven’t listened to Ben Onwukwe before. I have listened to more than 200 audio books though and I would rate Onwukwe among the top five performers, his mastery of character and accent is incredible.

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

A film wouldn’t, and apparently didn’t, do it justice.

Any additional comments?

Just read/listen!

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