Inspiring and Well Written   January 1, 2000

I'm indebted to the author for helping me find a direction and purpose.


Not just "kids" serving our community   August 20, 1999
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I am a recent City Year graduate from Chicago and I read Suzanne's book in the beginning of my City Year experience. Even though there is a five year difference in our corpmember experiences, her's being in the very beginning of City Year's exsistance. She tells the truth of how City Year can Help you and hurt you. It's Very hard work and having the story being portrayed from the earlier days of City Year, it's gotten even harder now. Personally I'm glad I did it. Proven we are not just "kids" serving our community but adults making our way in the world.


Factual but pacifying   August 5, 1999
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I, like Goldsmith, served as a City Year corps member at a different location and it is from this perspective that I offer this critique. Goldsmith does an excellent job of relaying appropriate events and common complaints about the program. At times, though, she seems to compromise accuracy in her interpretations in order to appeal to the Pollyanna-ish service learning audience. Perhaps the best, and most candid portion of the book is the epilogue. Goldsmith and her former corps-mates offer criticisms that are commonly heard within the corps. Unfortunatly, I believe that these suggestions have not led to improvements at City Year and their concerns are still startingly relevant. It is a must read for anyone considering spending a year with this organization.


Very Realistic Portrayal of the City Year Experience   August 23, 1998
  4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I was a corpsmember in City Year the year after Suzanne Goldsmith. Her book was almost like reading my own thoughts on my experiences. The reviews from the newspapers are harsh, saying that her book seemed very negative. However, what most people fail to realize is that City Year is not an easy year of service, and Goldsmith really shows that. I will admit that her experiences with her team were especially demanding, and most likely contributed to the down feeling of the book. I wish that she could have written more about how this year affected the corpsmembers after leaving. In my own experience, the lessons learned from City Year are the most precious. I really enjoyed reading Suzanne Goldsmith's book and I believe that those wanting to learn more about this amazing program will get a real insight to the problems that americorps volunteers face. It's not an easy book to read, it's often hard to keep track of all the different characters, and the book is overwhelmed with emotions. The lessons learned and the realistic feel of the year of service, however, make it worth reading even with the faults.