New Horizons School is similar to Dangerous Minds, Freedom Writers, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Foxfire, and The Breakfast Club.
New Horizons School
New Horizons School is located in a trendy Jewish neighborhood of Boston and they do things differently there than in most public schools. The classes are small, the learning is hands-on, and the students are encouraged to share stories, food, and traditions from the diverse cultures they come from. Ren Anonymous doesn’t know what her culture is, other than the pop culture she grew up with, but she enjoys learning about the other students and becomes inspired by how they’re taught to accept and celebrate each other, as if it were their number one goal, even above academics.
The students read banned books in class and talk about censorship and human rights as they come up with new rules and a list of things the school values, after a girl is expelled for defending herself, physically, against a boy who sexually harassed her.
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NEW HORIZONS SCHOOL 2
An intersex rapper and artist, Ren Anonymous, gets sober on her sixteenth birthday, September 11th, 1994. Monday, September 12th is the first day of her junior year at New Horizons School, a small, diverse, alternative high school in Boston.
During the course of the year, Ren makes friends with some of the other sober kids at school and learns to have fun without drugs and alcohol, for the first time since she was twelve years old. She is questioning her gender and sexuality, which is accepted at New Horizons School, but not so much in the rest of her life. Ren takes several fun classes, including Roots Of American Music, Improv, Intro To Drawing, Pottery, Communications, Health and Wellness, History Of Film, Psychology, World Religions, and an English class where they study the art, poetry, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. All of these classes, as well as the Diversity Committee at school, help Ren open her mind and prepare her for the unique path that she is meant to take.
REVIEWS
“I’m not normally interested in, much less dwell on, stories about troubled teens, but this one was actually gentle and loving, told from a sympathetic point of view. That approach worked for me; it showed the connections that might be possible to make with youth who find they don’t fit well with the usual social conventions. I am very interested in education and art, so I was attracted to the portrayal of how New Horizons School connected with these troubled youth and especially recognized their creative natures.
I’m also not usually into rap, but again the authenticity of the lyrics and how they were woven into the characters’ stories and the events of the moment helped me understand the appeal. So thanks for building a bridge there.
I can see myself recommending this book to youth and their parents who might be struggling with some of these issues, because of the compassion with which the characters are portrayed, definitely from the youths’ perspectives. This means the parents are portrayed more one-dimensionally and with less sympathy, but this would be realistic from the youths’ perspectives.” – Copperpeach
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“New Horizons School made me laugh, cry, and reminisce about my own experiences in the 1990s growing up. Although I’m a couple years older than Ren Rogers would have been, I related to so much of the music and pop culture talked about. I went to a public high school and had a great time there, but absolutely love the alternative high school Ren starts going to after she gets out of rehab/a mental health institution. The teachers approach learning in ways that really help their students, and they get to dig into the material in different ways than kids do in traditional classrooms. For example, they build a miniature playground as a math exercise, and then donate it to a Montessori school when it is finished.
Ren writes raps, poems and letters which are shared throughout. These are probably my favorite parts of the books. They are entertaining, but also show where Ren is in her own mind, and the growth she’s going through as a teenager in recovery.
This is the first book of a trilogy. It is a standalone book, but it also comes chronologically after “Good Catholic Kids” and “In-Patient.” I highly recommend those books, too. Ren is questioning her sexuality and gender. She found out that she is intersex while she was in recovery, so she’s still contemplating this. We get to know the other students, and start rooting for everyone to finish the year out strong.” – Coriander R
“I really got into this book. It really reminded me of being young in the 90’s. I read the whole book in just a couple of days. I didn’t mean to read it so fast, but it was good and I didn’t want to put it down. I can’t wait to read the next book.” – Riley
“I have enjoyed all jymi cliche’s books. His writing is emotionally honest and tackles tough issues in an engaging and relatable way.” – Horse Mom