Engrossing ... Meckler turns her sharp reportorial eye to the schools ... Meckler deftly explores how miscommunication, arrogance and flat-out racism sometimes thwarted good intentions as she chronicles many initiatives aimed at closing the academic gap, such as combining advanced and regular classes and finding ways to aid those 'on the economic edge' ... haker Heights emerges as the charismatic but flawed hero undertaking the quest for racial inclusion that the title of the book describes. Meckler vividly narrates how often the city tries, fails, but tries again, even as others give up.
Dream Town may skimp on descriptions, but the people emerge vividly through their extraordinary actions ... Arranging the chapters by "character" leads to some structural issues — the chapters feel almost like individual essays ... But it pays off because it helps us see the human costs to the community of not achieving, or getting close to, racial equity.
Through detailed research and interviews, Meckler tells a remarkable story about a town that continuously strives to achieve the ideals it long ago set for itself.
Meckler draws on extensive interviews with parents, teachers, community leaders, and students to present the various controversies from multiple perspectives, resulting in a nuanced and impressively detailed study of the barriers to racial equality.
