“So you’re going to try your hand with the Wild Bunch, huh?” That’s the greeting teacher Thomas Payne receives on the first day he reports to work at the Adams School; an old, inner-city structure in Boston. The twenty-four year-old African American male is about to inherit a fifth-grade class so troublesome, his predecessor took early retirement rather than face them.

But the former football player has arrived armed with a fierce determination to succeed—and some novel ideas about using ceremonies to build a cohesive classroom community. But taking on the Wild Bunch is only one of Thomas’s concerns. He also faces disturbing complications in his personal life: the abrupt end of his marriage engagement, his attraction to a fellow teacher, an older brother in prison and a new best friend with a troubling secret.

For the next ten months, Thomas confronts challenges to his faith in the American public school system, his belief in love and his confidence in himself. One thing is certain: at the end of his first year as a teacher, he will never be the same. This intriguing story of a young man’s first step into his profession is filled with surprise, tragedy and hope.

Kelvin L. Reed has woven a fascinating tale of personal struggle and professional commitment, demonstrating that learning and growing is a lifelong process for both children and adults.