When Rachel Harding, a college senior, experiences a police-involved shooting at the school where she is student teaching, she is thrown into a complex world of politics and self-preservation, all the while trying to complete her internship hours and move into her next stage of life, wherever that might take her.
With mounting pressure to speak out about the event to the press and members of the community, Rachel has to decide not only where her own views lie but also how she can deal with its effects on her and her young students. Rachel struggles to overcome her soft-spoken demeanor and loneliness amid tragedy, simultaneously hoping to receive a strong recommendation from her supervisor, Mrs. Means, who from the beginning warned, "I think the students are going to eat you alive."
Complete with romance, complicated relationships, and big decisions about the future, Gray Area will offer insight into the makings of the modern teacher.
About the Author :
Leah Decker is an Oregon-based educator and author. Through her own experiences in the modern classroom, teaching high school history, she has observed the impact that America's politicized issues have on our youth, and she focuses on this in her writing. Leah received her bachelor of science in anthropology and her master's in education, both from the University of Oregon. In her spare time, she plays the violin in the local symphonic orchestra and offers private violin lessons. She enjoys traveling and reading, devouring all she can about ancient history and music. She lives in Southern Oregon with her husband and their pets.
Review :
"Unwavering and profoundly human, Gray Area pulls back the curtain on what it means to survive in the aftermath of a school tragedy. Leah Decker's razor-sharp narration delivers a raw, intimate portrait of trauma, ethics, and resilience without veering into melodrama. Ideal for readers of memoir-style fiction and emotional complexity, this debut leaves a lasting mark."
-Dr. Todd Brown, US Congressional Teacher of the Year, United Nations education ambassador
"Everyone who has survived-or even attempted or considered attempting-a teacher preparation program needs to read Gray Area. Throughout the novel, I found myself relating tremendously to Decker's protagonist, Rachel Harding. She made me laugh one moment and cry the next. At times I wanted to grab ahold of Rachel, shake sense into her, even yell at her. Then, a few pages later, I wanted to wrap her in a hug and comfort her. Decker beautifully captures the complexities and nuances of working in US schools in the twenty-first century."-Shaila Walker, high school educator
"[Leah has] captured a beautiful, important story that should honestly be read by any educator or anyone who loves an educator. We all carry those kinds of moments with us, and Rachel captures the feelings attached to that trauma very well. Her voice is honest and raw, humanizing how we live both in and out of the classroom in the face of trauma. I found her to be genuinely relatable, especially as an introverted person."-Erin Haney, high school educator
"Leah Decker's portrayal of an aspiring teacher is downright fascinating. One suspects from the first few pages that the author is speaking from personal experience about secondary school teaching, and this suspicion is confirmed throughout. The storyline, taking us through the final year of the college/student-teaching process, is engaging enough to keep the reader's interest to the end. But it is the word painting of Rachel, the main character, that is extraordinary. She is at once confident and laser-focused on a teaching career, but unsure of what else she wants from life. She is a bit fragile, for sure, but finds the will to navigate, and, in the end, she comes to know (and like) herself as well as we do. A warm and interesting read."-William Waddell, author
