{"product_id":"an-empty-spoon-sunny-decker-scholastic-1973","title":"An Empty Spoon by Sunny Decker","description":"\u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSunny Decker's Moving 1969 Teaching Memoir of Urban Education and Human Connection\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1969 by Harper \u0026amp; Row and widely distributed in vintage paperback editions by Scholastic Book Services, \u003cem\u003eAn Empty Spoon\u003c\/em\u003e is a candid, deeply empathetic teaching memoir by Sunny Decker.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWritten when Decker was only twenty-two years old, the book chronicles her tumultuous first years teaching English in an overcrowded, underfunded, and predominantly Black high school in North Philadelphia. Refusing to adopt rigid, bureaucratic teaching methods or succumb to cynicism, Decker works tirelessly to build genuine trust, respect, and rapport with her students—teenagers facing severe systemic poverty, racial prejudice, and institutional neglect. Complemented by intimate photos taken by her husband, William F. Decker, \u003cem\u003eAn Empty Spoon\u003c\/em\u003e presents a raw, humorous, and deeply human portrait of urban education, student potential, and the transformative power of dedicated mentorship.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy You'll Love This Book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA poignant historical time capsule of 1960s American education and social reform, \u003cem\u003eAn Empty Spoon\u003c\/em\u003e remains a powerful and uplifting story of empathy in the classroom. Readers who appreciate inspiring teaching memoirs and works like E. R. Braithwaite's \u003cem\u003eTo Sir, With Love\u003c\/em\u003e, Bel Kaufman's \u003cem\u003eUp the Down Staircase\u003c\/em\u003e, LouAnne Johnson's \u003cem\u003eDangerous Minds\u003c\/em\u003e, Jonathan Kozol (\u003cem\u003eDeath at an Early Age\u003c\/em\u003e), and Erin Gruwell's \u003cem\u003eThe Freedom Writers Diary\u003c\/em\u003e will find this memoir deeply moving.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Fehmerling Books","offers":[{"title":"Acceptable \/ Paperback","offer_id":67670288007322,"sku":"BOOK-1791238354","price":10.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0642\/3455\/3498\/files\/sunny-decker-an-empty-spoon-scholastic-1973-front-cover.jpg?v=1791603462","url":"https:\/\/www.fehmerlingbooks.com\/products\/an-empty-spoon-sunny-decker-scholastic-1973","provider":"Fehmerling Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}