The bestselling Pat Conroy memoir.
The moving story of a young teacherβs experience on an island forgotten by the world
Though the children of Yamacraw Island live less than two miles from the coast of South Carolina, they canβt name the president or the ocean that surrounds them. Many canβt sign their names. Most canβt read or writeβtheyβre unable to reach their potential to grow and learn because they have been failed by their school district and handicapped by their poverty and isolation. But with the arrival of an eager young teacher, their prospects begin to brighten.
Based on Pat Conroyβs experiences teaching elementary school for a year on South Carolinaβs Daufuskie Island, The Water Is Wide is a revealing portrait of the inequalities of the American education system and a powerful story of the group of children that changed one manβs life forever.
Review
βMiraculous . . . an experience of joy.β β Newsweek
βA hell of a good story.β β The New York Times
βAn exciting and inspiring book.β β St. Louis Post-Dispatch
From the Inside Flap
The island is nearly deserted, haunting, beautiful. Across a slip of ocean lies South Carolina. But for the handful of families on Yamacraw island, America is a world away. For years the people here lived proudly from the sea, but now its waters are not safe. Waste from industry threatens their very existence?unless, somehow, they can learn a new life. But they will learn nothing without someone to teach them, and their school has no teacher.
Here is PAT CONROY?S extraordinary drama based on his own experience?the true story of a man who gave a year of his life to an island and the new life its people gave him.