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Crazy is Normal is Mr. Lofthouse’s account of one particular year of teaching freshman English and being the journalism advisor for the class that published the high school newspaper. The high school was Nogales High School in La Puente, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. During this book of Mr. Lofthouse’s account of teaching these courses, readers get a sample of a teacher’s perspective and learn of the variety of issues that a teacher faces daily. These issues include unmotivated and ill-behaved students,  unsupportive administrators, and uninvolved parents, not to mention the number of students who just show up because it is the law. Although published recently, the year focused on was approximately 20 years ago, so one can imagine what today’s teachers face.

Review with excerpt from memoir continues at: