Book review by Luiza Spectrum

Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit

The issue of proper educator’s communication within multicultural student groups has always been among the most burning problems of contemporary socio-cultural development of any society. The book Other People’s Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom by Lisa Delpit is the essential and traditionally avoided debate of how any classroom experiences a reverberation of power imbalance in the U.S. society.

The shocking outcome that educators are the main reason of establishing stereotypic attitude to children of color and children from poor families is confirmed through tens of interviews from students, their parents, and teachers. The reliable evidences are properly structured in the book, providing deep and accurate understanding of existing controversies by erasing probable misinformation and exaggeration. The author stresses upon the issues deeper and more serious than intense racism, which “may be designed to destroy the heritage, the essence of who and what we are, to destroy their knowledge of themselves”.

The third part of the book entitled “Looking to the Future: Accommodating Diversity” accommodates researches related to the effect of everyday life by diverse culture and background in terms of future effective communication and beneficial education in spite of the race or income level. The essence of a new approach consists in the following: all educators should accept that an “alternative worldviews exist — that there are valid alternative means to any end, as well as valid alternative ends in themselves”.

Thus, the book discloses education system from quite different perspective, proving the facts of assaults and repressions to color students. The author points out the tragic consequences of prejudice for the next generations which should be prevented and erased by mainstream educators, since usually they ignore the suggested rules and establish the basis for further opposition and rivalry. Stereotypic attitude and irrational position to ‘other’s people children’ is the first step to hatred within the society and war.

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