The island is nearly deserted. Across a slip of ocean lies South Carolina. But for the handful of families on Yamacraw Island, America is a world away. Now the waters are not safe. Waste from industry threatens their existence - unless somehow, they can learn a new life.
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The island is nearly deserted. Across a slip of ocean lies South Carolina. But for the handful of families on Yamacraw Island, America is a world away. Now the waters are not safe. Waste from industry threatens their existence - unless somehow, they can learn a new life.
Read Less
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Seller's Description:
Good. Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
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Seller's Description:
New in New jacket. Book. 5 3/4 By 9" DJ perfect in Mylar, No damage. 1990, 288 pages, fascinating story of bringing isolated black culture on and island, up to modern day awareness and education.
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. Book. 8vo-over 7¾-9¾" tall. Publisher: Old New York Book Shop Press, Atlanta, 1990 Used-Fine. Old New York Book Shop Press. Atlanta. 288 pages. 1990 (1972) First Edition Thus, as this book was first published in 1972 and then reprinted in 1990 (this copy is from 1990). A perfect copy of the 1990 edition of the the old new york reprint of conroy's second book. Fine. 1990. Reprint Edition. Includes dust jacket is protected in an acid-free archival quality acetate cover.
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Seller's Description:
Dust jacket in very good condition. Revised edition. SIGNED by the author. Minor shelf and handling wear, overall a clean solid copy with minimal signs of use. *2005 edition* Signed by Pat Conroy on the title page. Minor wear to the dust jacket. Light bumping to the boards and spine. Tight binding. Clean interior pages. New mylar added to the dust jacket. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Excellent service, prompt, and always in great condition.
Kimberly H
Aug 5, 2010
good book
I truly enjoyed the book. Every educator should read this book and understand what some teachers go through to make sure every child has an opportunity to learn. It has motivated me to do more for my students.
TheWhiteRock
Aug 3, 2009
A Teacher's Education
Picture a lush, unspoiled island more than two miles off the shore of South Carolina, largely ignored by the world, inhabited by descendants of freed slaves. Roads are unpaved, oxcarts still in use. In the late 1960?s a young, idealistic, white teacher, reared in the segregated south, eager to change the lives of the black children, arrives at the island?s only school. This book is based on the true story of Pat Conroy?s turbulent year trying to change the lives of children living in isolation and ignorance.
?I know colored people better than you do?, the principal tells Conroy on the first day of school. ?That?s because I?m one of them myself.? She tells the children to work hard because their brains are slow and that some of them are even retarded, and reminds them about the switches in the cupboard.
This is a story of a teacher?s education about racial prejudice still prevalent in the 1960?s south. The children can barely read or write and speak in their own ?gullah?language. Conroy?s at odds with the principal?s teaching methods and the bureaucracy of the mainland school district. Finally he sees that the best education he can give the children is exposure to the outside world. How he manages to do this, against all odds, is a compelling story you won?t forget.
sd6161
Sep 10, 2007
Teaching Children
Pat Conroy takes reader's on an emotional journey as a young, white teacher who navigates an unrivaled segregated educational system in the deep south. Behind the story hangs a veil over the ever present, multi-layered civil rights movement of the then recent 1960's. The most powerful aspect of Conroy's writing is his ability to engross the reader so as to journey along with the characters. In The Water Is Wide, the privledge was to move from shame and pain to pride and self respect.
CamOlympiakos
Aug 15, 2007
A beautiful book...
Are you an educator who has lost your drive for teaching? A southerner who has been removed from your birthplace? Or do you just love books? The Water is Wide is a glimpse into the public education system in South Carolina in the late sixties and early seventies, as told by Pat Conroy. A native of the lowcountry of South Carolina, he chronicles his experiences teaching on Yamacraw Island for a year - the injustices, the rewards, the setbacks, and the beauty of home. I think everyone will find something to love in this story, but I think that any educator, and any native of South Carolina, will find it especially real, familiar, and touching. It is not a long read, either. Knock it out in a few hours or a day, and you will be better for it! Highly recommended.