Lofthouse kept a journal of his experiences during a set period of time, and it is those experiences that he shares in Crazy is Normal: a classroom exposé . Unless you are in a classroom setting on a daily basis, much of this will seem like an exaggeration, but I know it is very real. The funny thing is, I loved every minute of it and can read Mr. Lofthouse's pride loud and clear. For every Alexis who made him crazy, there was an Amanda who helped him realize that what he was doing was as fulfilling as a job can get. He puts across his emotions well in this book, and brings an important window into the struggles that face students and teachers in high school.
I enjoyed his use of statistical data, newspaper articles, etc., to bolster his points. I found them easy to understand and helpful in accepting the information he shared with the reader. It is difficult to find the balance between being the "mean teacher" and the "pushover," and Lofthouse seems to have found that sweet spot. I found his attraction to a student odd, but he was obviously trying to be brutally truthful about all aspects of his year.
The book's journal format made it almost repetitious in parts, but on a whole it did an excellent job bring us into typical classroom experiences in a typical urban high school. I definitely recommend this book for any parent who ever questioned what his/her child's teacher was doing.
- Beverly
Publisher - Three Clover Press
Date of Publication - June 13, 2014