The details…
- Title: The Teachers’ Room
- Author: Lydia Stryk
- Publisher: Bywater Books (May 24, 2022)
- Publication date: May 24, 2022
- Available formats: ebook, paperback
- File size: 2163 KB
- Print length: 310 pages
- Genre: historical romantic fiction
- Themes: teaching, living in secret, discrimination, living in fear, same sex relationships , small towns, public school, politics, public policy
The blurb from the publisher…
A novice fifth-grade teacher embarks on a clandestine love affair with another teacher, which sets her on the tumultuous path of self-discovery.
It is 1963, one of the most turbulent years in American history. The escalating tensions and conflicts in society at large are playing out in classrooms, principals’ offices, and school boards across the country, along with the first stirrings of social transformation, though the past still holds its suffocating grip. And behind the closed door of the teachers’ room in one small Midwest town, two teachers set eyes on each other and find it hard to look away.
Karen Murphy, fresh from college, has taken on her first teaching job. Despite her best efforts, she can’t seem to stick to the subjects in her fifth-grade school books, helped along by the antics of a girl who upends all her lesson plans. She has a lot to learn, and her women colleagues are there to offer their advice, especially the enigmatic fourth-grade teacher, Esther Jonas. As Karen quickly discovers, the devoted spinster teacher with no life beyond the classroom is a myth—the school is teeming with passion and secrets, her own perilous desire for Esther Jonas included.
The Teachers’ Room offers both a panoramic view of a changing America and an intimate portrait of the hidden lives of teachers.
My thoughts…
This is one of those books that affects readers in quiet ways. Long after they’ve finished this book, snapshots of scenes and dialogue come to the mind and stir them in unexpected moments. This book makes one think. It makes one feel. Most importantly though, it makes one appreciate the the characters inside these pages, characters that were inspired by real people that only desired to live and love as they wished—safely. They, much like these characters, persevered in spite of the injustices served to them. This story, though fictional, mirrors their struggle for acceptance.
Though this is Stryk’s first full length novel, one would never know it. One would think she’s been happily writing best selling novels for years. Her words flow across the page with ease; readers glide through the story with rapt attention. Space and time drifts away as readers absorb these characters and their distinct voices. Because it does, the story world wraps itself around readers, gets into their cells. They see it, they feel it and they’re swiftly transported back to 1963. It’s as if they aren’t even reading it; they’re just melting into it. When a writer can create that kind of experience for the reader, one knows it’s exceptional.
It is evident that Stryk put many hours of research into this book. She combines the history with effective literary devices to elevate the storytelling and make it a masterful work of fiction. The Teachers’ Room is well-thought out; nothing is happenstance. The characters and setting work to underscore the themes while the setting pulls back the curtain on homophobia and discrimination with cutting clarity. Karen, Esther, Lydie, the O’Connor sisters—they’re all tangible representations of the varied fears and desires of queer women in America during the 60’s. The Midwestern small town public school is also purposeful. It works to provide readers with perspective and context. Together, these elements create a moving and relatable story.
Besides being a wonderfully well-written story, The Teachers’ Room is an important story as well, and Stryk gets it right on every account. She gets the characters right, she gets the setting right and she gets the history right. This feels real, and in a sense it is. These things happened—are still happening to some degree. With the present political and climate such as it is, this story couldn’t be more relevant and timely, and it needs to be read. The Teachers’ Room speaks to our history, a history we should learn from and not repeat.
Final remarks…
The Teachers’ Room is a a captivating read, start to finish. Readers will not be able to put it down. It’s affecting and important, a real must read. If you are a part of a book club, choose this one for your next read. There is much to talk about, much to discuss. It will not disappoint.
Strengths…
- Relevant
- Affecting
- Relatable
- Well-researched
- Well-written
- Compelling storyline
- Intriguing sub-plots
- Fantastic character development
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A little bit about this author…
Award-winning playwright Lydia Stryk was born and raised in DeKalb, Illinois, the birthplace of barbed wire and flying ears of corn. After high school, she trained at the Drama Centre in London and pursued an acting career in New York for exactly one year before returning to school to study History and Education. While completing a Master’s degree in Journalism, she wrote a first play, coming full circle back to the theatre, this time as a writer. She has taught in schools and colleges, and her plays have been produced across the country and beyond. She also writes essays. The Teachers’ Room is her first novel.
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