Lisa Locascio, University of Southern California, Recipient of the 2011 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction: “In a time when the importance of teachers has been unfairly challenged, Bob Boone gives us a collection of simply told, hard-edged tales from the lives of educators and their students. These rich, multifaceted stories ring true with details gleaned over the course of a full life. Reading them, one feels as if they are entering another version of our familiar reality, where secrets thrive in quiet classrooms and a passionate love of the pitfalls and victories of teaching motivates the creation of narrative.”Billy Lombardo, Author, The Man with Two Arms, Recipient of the 2011 Nelson Algren Award for the Short Story: “These aren’t your typical teacher stories. In the living and breathing world of brick, glass and glue sticks, we want our teachers to leave their real lives—their darknesses, their longings, their secrets and desires—back at their desks and locked in their lockers in the faculty room. But this is Bob Boone’s school. There is no safe place here for the containment of these things. The best Boone’s characters can do is take off their jackets at the door, empty the pockets of their pants—their shreds and crumplings, their histories and regret, their hearts and longings—stuff it all in the pockets and sleeves of their jackets, drape their coats over the backs of their chairs, and just like the rest of us, cross their fingers and pray to God that nothing falls out before the bell rings.”Milos Stehlik, Critic for Worldview on WBEZ/Chicago Public Radio: “The stories are wonderful and beautifully written, with insights into the interior of a parallel, minimalist universe of the everyday. What makes these stories ultimately so arresting is how they capture the quiet, unspoken fears, the normalcy of unfinished relationships, and the inner strength it takes to face each day. The quietness of the stories belies their energy and the resilience of the characters which becomes a moving celebration of the human spirit.”Larry Starzec, Fiction Editor, Willow Review, Professor of English at College of Lake County: “Bob Boone gives us an insider’s view into the world of Forest High. These stories are spare, terse and capture the quirkiness of characters and circumstance utterly consistent with the world of schools—a world where, as Boone well knows, every story implies another. An astute observer, Bob Boone writes with humor, compassion and insight.”John O’Connor, Author, Wordplaygrounds, Teacher at New Trier High School: “Implicit in these tales are basic human questions: what does it mean to be a good teacher or a good person? What, for that matter, is meant by the phrase ‘good school’? In this age of standardized tests and the relentless attempt at quantifying students and teachers alike, Bob’s stories offer a refreshingly human portrayal of his characters. He never fails to see the comedy in the conflict between the conventional and unconventional, and he portrays his characters with nothing less than a sympathetic eye. In these stories, Bob always looks beyond the Forest to the individual trees.”

Forest High: Short Stories (The Forest High Stories)

Literature & Fiction

Boone, Bob

Short Stories & Anthologies

Amika Press

Write Through Chicago offers both teachers and students a unique opportunity to connect with Chicago and its remarkable history. Young writers will mourn at Lincoln’s Chicago Funeral, marvel at the Columbian Exposition, gather with the crowd at the Haymarket Riot, drive to Riverview Amusement Park, chomp down on the first McDonald’s Burger, and celebrate at Grant Park as Barack Obama delivers his presidential acceptance speech. They’ll craft a wide range of written forms, from stories and poems to polemics, monologues, diaries, letters and more. All Write Through Chicago writing activities align to NCTE &amp; Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and are supported by a website that provides students with ready access to specifically selected research materials. This unique design leaves teachers free to concentrate on helping students truly “learn about a city by writing about a city.” Deborah Will, former President, Illinois Association of Teachers of English: “Write Through Chicago is the best present an English teacher could receive. This book brings to the forefront a logical yet creative way of addressing what is truly important: engaging students to think creatively and insightfully about the world around them. By allowing students to write themselves into Chicago history, Larson and Boone have seamlessly brought together the best parts of teaching and writing. This is the kind of book that makes teachers want to teach.” Richard Reeder, author, Chicago Sketches: “In this era of social media saturation, coherent writing often finds itself sorely missing from the toolbox of today’s students. Thankfully Write Through Chicago provides students with imaginative learning tasks that allow them to discover the people, places and events that comprise the rich history of Chicago through writing and other forms of creative expression. Boone and Larson’s book should be on the desk of every Social Studies teacher in Chicago.” Peter Kahn, Spoken Word and Black Literature Educator, Oak Park and River Forest High School: “Write Through Chicago will introduce teachers and students to the people, places and events—from Gwendolyn Brooks to Riverview to the Beatles at Comiskey Park—that have built up Chicago’s bulky shoulders. As Studs Terkel said, ‘I hope that memory is valued—that we do not lose memory.’ Write Through Chicago will make Chicago’s history memorable to teachers and students alike.” Laura Dershewitz, Test Development Supervisor; Gifted Program Coordinator: “Write Through Chicago is like time travel. The assignments lead students into exciting moments in the past, letting them document what they observe, feel, and think along the way. The brilliance of the book is that it enlists writing to help young people channel their natural fascination with what happened before their own time.”

Write Through Chicago: Learn About a City by Writing About a City

Reference

Larson, Mark Henry

Words, Language & Grammar

Honorable Mention, Anthology, 2016 Readers’ Favorite Book Awards Bob Boone returns to Forest High School in his new book. With his distinctive voice, he gives us another glimpse into the characters that people the school landscape. Back to Forest High tells of new beginnings, youthful mistakes, failed marriages, and uncertain retirements. Each story is told with humor and tenderness as the characters make their way through the rhythms of everyday life. “There was a pile of exams on the floor, but he wasn’t going to grade them yet. There was a science fiction novel he was about to start and some old New Yorker issues he needed to finish, but he was too tired to read. He stared blankly at the wall and noticed that Shelly had hung up a photo of George Orwell, her favorite author…” —from “The Replacement” Lisa Locascio, University of Southern California, Recipient of the 2011 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction: “In a time when the importance of teachers has been unfairly challenged, Bob Boone gives us a collection of simply told, hard-edged tales from the lives of educators and their students. These rich, multifaceted stories ring true with details gleaned over the course of a full life. Reading them, one feels as if they are entering another version of our familiar reality, where secrets thrive in quiet classrooms and a passionate love of the pitfalls and victories of teaching motivates the creation of narrative.” Billy Lombardo, Author, The Man with Two Arms, Recipient of the 2011 Nelson Algren Award for the Short Story: “These aren’t your typical teacher stories. In the living and breathing world of brick, glass and glue sticks, we want our teachers to leave their real lives—their darknesses, their longings, their secrets and desires—back at their desks and locked in their lockers in the faculty room. But this is Bob Boone’s school. There is no safe place here for the containment of these things. The best Boone’s characters can do is take off their jackets at the door, empty the pockets of their pants—their shreds and crumplings, their histories and regret, their hearts and longings—stuff it all in the pockets and sleeves of their jackets, drape their coats over the backs of their chairs, and just like the rest of us, cross their fingers and pray to God that nothing falls out before the bell rings.” John O’Connor, Author, Wordplaygrounds, Teacher at New Trier High School: “Implicit in these tales are basic human questions: what does it mean to be a good teacher or a good person? What, for that matter, is meant by the phrase ‘good school’? In this age of standardized tests and the relentless attempt at quantifying students and teachers alike, Bob’s stories offer a refreshingly human portrayal of his characters. He never fails to see the comedy in the conflict between the conventional and unconventional, and he portrays his characters with nothing less than a sympathetic eye. In these stories, Bob always looks beyond the Forest to the individual trees.” Larry Starzec, Fiction Editor, Willow Review, Professor of English at College of Lake County: “Bob Boone gives us an insider’s view into the world of Forest High. These stories are spare, terse and capture the quirkiness of characters and circumstance utterly consistent with the world of schools—a world where, as Boone well knows, every story implies another. An astute observer, Bob Boone writes with humor, compassion and insight.”

Back to Forest High (The Forest High Stories)

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