Jonathan Kozol (born September 5, 1936) is an American writer, progressive activist, and educator, best known for his books on

public education in the United States The United States does not have a national or federal educational system. Although there are more than fifty independent systems of education (one run by each U.S. state, state and Territories of the United States, territory, the Bureau of In ...

Education and experience

Born to Harry Kozol and Ruth (Massell) Kozol, Jonathan graduated from

Noble and Greenough School The Noble and Greenough School, commonly known as Nobles, is a coeducational, nonsectarian day and five-day boarding school in Dedham, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. It educates 638 boys and girls in grades 7–12. The school's campus border ...

in 1954, and

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' in 1958 with an A.B. in

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from the English-speaking world. The English language has developed over more than 1,400 years. The earliest forms of English, a set of Anglo-Frisian languages, Anglo-Frisian d ...

. He was awarded a

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship is an international postgraduate award for students to study at the University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom. The scholarship is open to people from all backgrounds around the world. Established in 1902, it is ...

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

. He did not, however, complete his scholarship, deciding instead to go to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

to learn to write fiction and nonfiction from experienced authors such as

William Styron William Clark Styron Jr. (June 11, 1925 – November 1, 2006) was an American novelist and essayist who won major literary awards for his work. Early life Styron was born in the Hilton Village historic district of Newport News, Virginia, the so ...

, Richard Wright, and others who were living in Paris at the time. It was upon his return that he began to tutor children in

Roxbury, Massachusetts Roxbury () is a Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Roxbury is a Municipal annexation in the United States, dissolved municipality and one of 23 official neighborhoods of Boston used by the city for ne ...

, and soon became a teacher in the

Boston Public Schools Boston Public Schools (BPS) is a school district serving the city of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest public school district in the state of Massachusetts. Leadership The district is led by a superintendent, hired by t ...

. He was fired for teaching a

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

poem, as described in '' Death at an Early Age'', and then became deeply involved in the

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' political freedom, freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and ...

movement. After being fired from Boston Public Schools, he was offered a position to teach at Newton Public Schools, the school district he attended as a child, and taught there for several years before becoming more deeply involved in social justice work and dedicating more time to writing. Kozol is of Jewish heritage. Kozol has since held two

Guggenheim Fellowships Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

, has twice been a fellow of the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

, and has also received fellowships from the

Field Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

and Ford Foundations. Kozol also has worked in the field of

social psychology Social psychology is the methodical study of how thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of others. Although studying many of the same substantive topics as its counterpart in the field ...

. He has been working with children in inner-city schools for more than forty years. Kozol is currently on the editorial board of ''Greater Good Magazine'', published by the Greater Good Science Center at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...

. Kozol's contributions include the interpretation of scientific research into the roots of compassion, altruism, and peaceful human relationships.

Writing career

Jonathan Kozol at Pomona College 17 April 2003

'' Death at an Early Age'', his first non-fiction book, is a description of his first year as a teacher in the Boston Public Schools. It was published in 1967 and won the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

in Science, Philosophy and Religion."National Book Awards – 1968"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established with the goal "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: ...

. Retrieved 2012-03-05. It has sold more than two million copies in the United States and Europe. Among the other books by Kozol are ''Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America'', which received the

Robert F. Kennedy Robert Francis Kennedy (November 20, 1925 – June 6, 1968), also known as RFK, was an American politician and lawyer. He served as the 64th United States attorney general from January 1961 to September 1964, and as a U.S. senator from New Yo ...

Book award for 1989 and the

Conscience-in-Media Award The Conscience-in-Media Award is presented by the American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) to journalists that the society deems worthy of recognition for their distinctive contributions. The award is not given out often, and is awarde ...

of the

American Society of Journalists and Authors The American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) was founded in 1948 as the Society of Magazine Writers, and is the professional association of independent nonfiction writers in the United States. History The organization was established in ...

, and '' Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools'', which won the New England Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 1992. His 1995 book, ''Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation'', described his visits to the

South Bronx The South Bronx is an area of the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The area comprises neighborhoods in the southern part of the Bronx, such as Concourse, Bronx, Concourse, Mott Haven, Bronx, Mott Haven, Melrose, B ...

of New York City, the poorest congressional district in the United States. It received the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award in 1996. He published ''Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope'' in 2000 and ''

The Shame of the Nation ''The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America'' is a 2005 book by educator and author Jonathan Kozol. It describes how, in the United States, black and Hispanic students tend to be concentrated in schools where they ...

: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America'' was released September 13, 2005. Kozol documents the continuing and often worsening segregation in public schools in the United States, and the increasing influence of neoconservative ideology on the way children, particularly children of color and poor children of urban areas, are educated.

Awards and honors

*1968

for ''Death at an Early Age''. *1970 and 1980

Guggenheim Fellowship Guggenheim Fellowships are Grant (money), grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon Guggenheim, Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon indiv ...

*1972 Field Foundation Fellowship *1974 Field Foundation Fellowship *1978 and 1983 Rockefeller Fellowship *1988 Conscience in Media Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors *1988

Christopher Award The Christopher Award (established 1949) is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, films and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit". It is given by The Christophers, a Christian organizatio ...

*1992 New England Book Award *1996 Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for ''Amazing Grace'' *2005 Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship.Puffin/Nation Prize for Creative Citizenship
, official website. *2013 The Deborah W. Meier Hero in Education Award from FairTest

Works

*''The Fume of Poppies'' (1958) A novel. *'' Death at an Early Age: The Destruction of the Hearts and Minds of Negro Children in the Boston Public Schools''. First published in 1967, it won the

and sold more than two million copies. It describes his year of teaching in the Boston Public School System. Reissue *''Free Schools'' (1972) *''The Night is Dark and I Am Far from Home'' (1975) *''Children of the Revolution: A Yankee Teacher in the Cuban Schools'' (1978) *''Prisoners of Silence: Breaking the Bonds of Adult Illiteracy in the United States'' (1980) *''On Being a Teacher'' (1981) *''Alternative Schools: A Guide for Educators and Parents'' (1982) *''Illiterate America'' (1986) *''Rachel and Her Children: Homeless Families in America'' (1988) Awarded the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for 1989 and The Conscience in Media Award of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, and the Christopher Award, 1988. Reprint *''

Savage Inequalities ''Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools'' is a book written by Jonathan Kozol in 1991 that discusses the disparities in education between schools of different classes and races. It is based on his observations of various classrooms i ...

: Children in America's Schools'' (1991) A finalist for the 1992 National Book Critics Circle Award and awarded The New England Book Award. Reprint
Bookfinder
collected reviews. *''Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation'' (1995) Reprint

and appreciation by Mary Leue. *''Ordinary Resurrections: Children in the Years of Hope'' (2000) Reprint .
Review
by Jana Siciliano at BookReporter.com. *''

: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America'' (2005) *''Letters to a Young Teacher'' (2007) *''Fire in the Ashes: Twenty-Five Years Among the Poorest Children in America'' (2012) *''The Theft of Memory: Losing My Father One Day at a Time'' (2015) * ''The End to Inequality: Breaking Down the Walls of Apartheid Education in America'' (2024) SBN 978-1620978725

References

External links