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Miseducated cover art

Miseducated

Written by: Brandon P. Fleming, Cornel West - foreword
Narrated by: Brandon P. Fleming, Landon Woodson
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Publisher's Summary

An inspiring memoir of one man’s transformation from a delinquent, drug-dealing dropout to an award-winning Harvard educator through literature and debate - all by the age of 27.

Brandon P. Fleming grew up in an abusive home and was shuffled through school, his passing grades a nod to his skill on the basketball court, not his presence in the classroom. He turned to the streets and drug deals by 14, saved only by the dream of basketball stardom.

When he suffered a career-ending injury during his first semester at a Division I school, he dropped out of college, toiling on an assembly line, until depression drove him to the edge. Miraculously, his life was spared.

Returning to college, Fleming was determined to reinvent himself as a scholar - to replace illiteracy with mastery over language, to go from being ignored and unseen to commanding attention. He immersed himself in the work of Black thinkers from the Harlem Renaissance to present day. Crucially, he found debate, which became the means by which he transformed his life and the tool he would use to transform the lives of others - teaching underserved kids to be intrusive in places that are not inclusive, eventually at Harvard University, where he would make champions and history.

Through his personal narrative, listeners witness Fleming’s transformation, self-education, and how he takes what he learns about words and power to help others like himself. Miseducated is an honest memoir about resilience, visibility, role models, and overcoming all expectations.

©2021 Brandon P. Fleming and Cornel West (P)2021 Hachette Books

What the critics say

Miseducated is a stunningly crafted book exploring the radical possibilities of what happens when a Black child who ‘hates’ school finds the language, tones, and practice to contextualize and precisely state why he rightfully resents the parts of American formal education system that hated him. In that way, the book is not so much about a prelapsarian kind of renewal, but a full-hearted conjuring of an equitable future. I learned how to learn and how to teach again in Miseducated. This is breathtaking art and heart work.” (Kiese Laymon, New York Times best-selling author of Heavy: An American Memoir)

"Miseducated touched my soul. From the very first sentence to the last, I was riveted. Only one other book has affected my soul so profoundly. It was my great-great grandfather’s Narrative - and, fatefully, the book that happened to change Brandon’s life." (Nettie Washington Douglass, great-great granddaughter of Frederick Douglass, great-granddaughter of Booker T. Washington, cofounder and chairwoman of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives)

"Spellbinding storytelling.... With immediacy and stylistic flair, Fleming powerfully narrates his difficult childhood with an absent mother and a violent stepfather; his total-immersion course in street life and failure in school; a chance at a Division I basketball career that he would have destroyed himself if injury had not beat him there; a dramatic incident of lust, infidelity, and an attempt at murderous revenge that occurred when the author was only 14; and his interest in - and great talent for - debate, which turned out to be one of the most transformative elements of his life.... Informed by the autobiographies of Malcolm X and Frederick Douglass, the books that finally overcame his resistance to reading, Fleming adds a compelling chapter to the body of literature that inspired him. An inspiring page-turner for all readers, especially those seeking to overcome significant obstacles to find success." (Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about Miseducated

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Amazing! I will listen again soon!

I dont often write reviews but this book was so good! I absolutely loved how the author described everything, and had tears, and goosebumps in several different spots. I will recommend this to everyone and definitely listen again.

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Inspirational and eye opening for all!

This is a wonderful story for those who feel at disadvantage and those who have experienced opportunities. On either side, there’s much to learn. For educators, it reminds us to believe in our scholars. I loved it!

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Listen, share it and then listen again.

One of the most inspiring and uplifting stories I’ve ever heard! I can’t wait to learn what’s next for Mr. Fleming.

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