The Water Is Wide is based on a teacher named Pat Conroy that goes to a poor island called Yamacraw to help little kids become more educated. Pat struggles with communicating with the islanders and adjusting to their lifestyle.
At the age of 21, Conroy graduated from the Citadel, a military collage close to his hometown Beaufort, S.C. Conroy applied to the Peace Corps and after no response, he talked to Beaufort’s schools and requested a teaching assignment on Yamacraw Island.
Yamacraw lies off the coast of South Carolina right next to Savannah. The only transportation to the isolated island is by boat. The people here have inhabited Yamacraw and count on the sea and the oysters for a living. When Conroy went to Yamacraw, he found a lot of troubles. A local factory in Savannah contaminated all the oysters and drove everyone off the island. The remaining locals are struggling with jobs and shelter.
Conroy’s first days at Yamacraw he saw the spirits of his students but also found them labeled by the teachers who educated them. Mrs. Brown, the only other teacher at the school, was very strict and didn’t believe in any of the students. She beat the children with belts, and continuously called them “retarded”. But Conroy refuses to control or beat his students. He rather teach his students with experience and guest from the mainland.
At the end of the year, the school holds a graduation ceremony for all the kids. A little after that, Pat gets laid off from the teaching position because he was late to many times. He loved teaching at Yamacraw and loved all the students. I personally really liked the book overall. It was very interesting reading his journey to help these kids get the education they needed.
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