Joseph Dotoli 
Piece of Chalk 

Bostonaas 1970s busing crisis is a critical moment in Americaaas civil rights movement. Championed as A a solution to segregation in northern city schools, forced busing became one of the most divisive and A regrettable episodes in Bostonaas long and distinguished history. What ensued was a firestorm of riots, A heavy-handed police response, political ping-pong, disenfranchised students, and lawsuits. Beginning in 1821, Boston English A High School, the A oldest public high school in America, had a prestigious history as the first public secondary school in America. By the 1970s it was the epicenter of A desegregation, and crumbling under the pressure. Author Joe Dotoli was in the thick of it as a young science teacher. Today this story isnaat so much one of clear triumph as perseverance in a racial and economic struggle still making American headlines today.