Freedom Writers

More about the book

Freedom Writersis a2007dramafilm starringHilary Swank,Scott Glenn,Imelda StauntonandPatrick Dempsey. It is based on the bookThe Freedom Writers Diaryby teacherErin Gruwellwho wrote the story based onWoodrow Wilson Classical High SchoolinLong Beach,California. The title is a play on both the terms of "Freedom Riders", the black and whitecivil rightsactivists who tested theU.S. Supreme Courtdecision ordering thedesegregationof interstate buses in 1961, andFreedom Fighters, as in somebody who fights for freedom. The idea for the film came from journalist Tracey Durning, who made a documentary about Erin Gruwell for theABC NewsprogramPrimetime Live. Durning served as co-executive producer of the film.