Dr. Don Wells, Duke University

It will not take many pages of reading The Hog Farm Chronicles to know that Allen Powell knows kids. What unfolds in this short and delightful book is the story of a rookie teacher learning from a group of kids about the mutuality of respect. As he learns to respect them for their heroic struggles to be themselves in a system that doesn’t fit, Allen’s respect for them results in their respect for them, and when you have theirs, they’ll die for you!

This book is an important one, though it may not appear so at first. It is important for educators because it clearly shows that the ‘normal’ mold of schools will not work for all young people.

For anyone who has shared a classroom with a motley bunch of kids and grown to love them in spite of the challenges, you’ll enjoy every unfolding story. This book contains truth, something often rare in the halls of education. Get it and enjoy your journey with Allen and his Hogs!