Brandon Fleming's story is harrowing, traumatic, and an all too familiar reality for anyone who teaches in public education. As a child, Fleming lived in an abusive home where his siblings lived in fear of his abusive step father and where good parenting was absent. His peers became his parents as he learned the rules of being a black man in New York, which consisted of drugs, women, and a life that most certainly did not include education. The only thing that got him by in school was his love of basketball. But when he suffered a career-ending injury, he had to figure out his identity outside of his sport. Left only with his meager education, he begins pursuing a college degree, facing immense challenges and roadblocks along the way. But his story, unlike so many black and brown students in America, has a happy ending -- he was able to get that education and now spends his life teaching others why its important to meet kids where they are and love our students beyond common misconceptions and stereotypes.

I read this book first as a memoir, but second as an educator. As Fleming details many of his issues with public education, I found resonances with the stories of some of my students. While this book's main aim is telling his life story, it is also incredibly relevant for educators in building empathy with students who are often categorized as "lazy" or "defiant" in the most positive conversations and "thugs" or "failures" in the most negative. His narrative is an alarm bell for teachers to make their practice more culturally responsive, to meet students where they're at, and to ensure they view all of their students as capable of success and find the real reasons they are disconnected with the curriculum. His story will not only be relevant to educators, but also students who see their stories in his life. Perhaps they can't relate to this level of trauma, but I'm sure this book would reflect how many students see their relationship with school.

I see this book pairing well with books commonly taught in high school now, like "Educated", offering a more realistic journey for some of my students, and I'm sure others in America.

I love these types of memoirs. Fleming really bared his soul, and it made for a book that is powerful and inspiring. It reminded me of other titles I've loved such as Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and A Knock At Midnight by Brittany K. Barnett. I would definitely recommend this to a friend.

Thank you to Hachette for this ARC!

This was one of the most heartfelt and emotional memoirs I've read. It showed strength, growth, triumph and transformation that proves that in most instances, a change can be made if an opportunity is given and change is wanted. This memoir was extremely inspiring and caused me to shed some tears at times. I could see this being turned into a movie, similar to one of those after school specials I used to watch when I was younger. Phenomenal job

Miseducated Book Review
June 24, 2021

Brandon P. Fleming could have had a totally different life. The third child to a single mother with his biological father living in a different state, Brandon and his siblings endured five years of physical and emotional abuse from their stepfather, leading Brandon to feel like the terrible things his stepfather said about him were true. Not a great male role model.

Caught up in drugs, sex, and basketball aspirations that don't pan out, Fleming finds himself out of work, out of college, and out of luck. Or so he thinks.

Miseducated is a wonderful true story about what can happen when adults don't give up on you. When kids are given skills and opportunities and shown that yes, they are worth it and they are worthy.

Thanks to his mother's GI bill, a well-read roommate who turned him on to the Harlem Renaissance, a sympathetic English teacher who modeled a different way to be a Black man, and a charismatic preacher who gave Fleming the chance and boost of confidence he needed, Fleming turned his life around and found what he was meant to do: teach young kids who were just like he had been.

I really enjoyed reading about the methods Fleming used to change these kids' lives. Introducing them to philosophy and debate gives them confidence, having them experience things instead of memorizing facts for a test. It really made me think back on my entire primary school education, which really had been "memorize this, take a test on it, rinse and repeat". But how much more excited Fleming's kids get when they are active participants in the learning and they reap the benefits of such an education.

The most important takeaway here for all readers, especially teachers reading this book, is to meet the kids where they are.

Miseducated is published by Hachette Books and is available to purchase now. I received a free e-ARC of the book in exchange for a review.

Miseducated by Brandon Fleming is an inspirational book you don’t want to miss.

It starts with Brandon’s childhood in an abusive home, followed by his teenage years when he sold and used drugs while striving to become a basketball star. He opens up about his experiences with racism, depression, abuse, addiction, and imposter syndrome while reinventing himself. Ultimately, Brandon overcame tremendous obstacles to become a Harvard professor, stellar youth mentor, and coach of an unbeatable debate team by age 27. No, that’s not a typo. 27!!

Brandon’s voice is grounded and honest as he shares his dynamic journey. My heart ached and rejoiced with him cover to cover. I’m in awe of his resilience, passion, and leadership.

This memoir is an inspirational story of a remarkable young man. More broadly, it is also a powerful example of what happens when we fight against harmful biases and nourish each other’s potential.

I only knew that I was born into circumstances that I did not choose, I conformed to the identities and lifestyles of people that were accessible to me. I needed their acceptance. I learned their values and mindsets and traumas. I became their likeness. This is how the cycle goes.

Brandon Fleming became the founder and CEO of the Harvard Diversity Project at 26 years of age. This memoir is an in-depth look at how he was able to transform his mind and ultimately, his trajectory. He was not raised in an affluent family, nor was he exceptionally smart. The book opens up with Brandon in a hospital bed angry that he isn't dead after a suicide attempt. His childhood was one filled with trauma and a sense of not belonging anywhere. The streets welcomed him with open arms he soon became a problem child, gangsta, and reveled in delinquency. His one saving grace was his athleticism and it gave him a golden ticket to college.

At this point we think Brandon is going to live happily ever after instead, he goes through a series of life altering events and he realizes that he can barely read or write. After being introduced to Black literature, he educates himself relentlessly and transforms his mind and his life and enables himself to become a teacher and a debate coach along the way. Ultimately, he created a pipeline for underrepresented youth in Ivy League admissions, called the Harvard Diversity Project. His Atlanta team first competed in 2017 and became the first all-black team to win Harvard's tournament the following year.

The thing I love the most about Miseducated is his transparency. He talked about all the times he was knocked down in life, but he never stayed down. He learned from each loss, and kept getting back up and going even when he had no idea where his lofty dreams and unorthodox teaching methods would take him. I think this book is a must read for anyone who has faced lots of adversity and it would be an amazing book for teachers to read. This memoir is a testament to the power of perseverance.

If "Started from the bottom now we here" was a book.

Wow. This is a helluva story.

Brandon reminds me of people from my same hood. People from my high school. People that others counted out and gave up on.

“Black youth, no matter how gifted or talented, miss out on opportunities because their family’s earning power is less than their white classmates’. Lack of access, not lack of ability, often keeps Black people from accomplishing what they could in a more equitable world.”

This definitely rings true for me and others who grew up in ‘the hood.’ We were very Black and talented kids, who had no resources or access to programs that could take us away from our environment and/or provide us with the necessary exposure to get ahead in life. If you got out of the hood, you were an exception; not the norm.

Brandon tells the story of many young Black kids, who needed direction, support, and accountability while growing up. He experienced a life of pain, suffering, despair, hopelessness by the hands of the ones who were supposed to protect him. However, because of the vicious cycle of domestic violence and substance abuse, and lack of parental support, Brandon turned to the only things that could be there for him when he needed it.

Many topics discussed in this book:
- Systemic racism
- Domestic violence
- Substance abuse
- Parenting
- Black male/youth stigmas
- Imposter syndrome
- Mental health
- Micro/Macro Aggression
- Self-worth
- School Failure

His story is a story of inspiration. People say they don’t believe in God or a higher power, they are crazy! God is making qualified people every single day. He is moving mountains. He is performing miracles. He is protecting and providing, loving and blessing. Though the human being has natural sinful tendencies, along with free will, we are then subjected to the free will of all people. That includes the violence and abuse that befalls us. The world is broken, and for that, all I can say is God grants us mercy and blessings daily. Trust in Him that all will turn out well eventually because he has a plan for all of this.

Brandon is no exception. God had, and still has, a plan for his life. Through all the trouble he went through, God saw him through. He showed up for Brandon on numerous occasions, and it just goes to show that you should not count someone out. Even if you are counting yourself out, God is not willing to count you out.

Brandon’s story should be shared across the globe because if he can do it, and learn to shift his thinking, and practice his deficiencies, and learn how to hone skills, others have the capacity to do so as well. Young Black men and women, need support, resources, access, belief, self-esteem, and self-confidence to push themselves past that comfortable threshold. It is no secret that we grow through painful experiences, but if you can channel those experiences and failures into opportunities, you will become amazing! Having the right support system is vital to young Black youth, and teachers and those who have a direct link to young people should definitely feel encouraged because a word, or a hug, or a nod, can make a difference in some person’s life when they need it most.

Brandon is living his dream, and living his life on purpose and this book made me so proud of the growth he accomplished within himself. God used his circumstances to build him up, and I’m just amazed at what God can do with a person who counted even himself down and out. This book was stellar, and I highly encourage young teens and also adults to read his story. Don’t give up on yourself! Keep pushing. There will be a breakthrough eventually!

The language and vernacular that Brandon uses in this book immediately transported me back home, to my block, to my street, and to my friends I grew up with. I felt like he was a homeboy that I could easily relate with while reading this book. I know Black people are not a monolith, but I swear we were all raised the same! I laughed, I cried, I was angry, I was emotional, I was pensive, I was anxious… I mean, I ran through the entire gamut of emotions in this book, and I loved every minute of Brandon P. Fleming’s story. 5 stars.

Side note: The use of the word n*gga is used quite often in this book. The word is used in AAVE to describe a host of things, as it is used in this book.

Thank you to Hachette Books, Brandon P. Fleming , and Netgalley for providing me this book for a fair and honest review.

Full review to come. I like reading memoirs about people who overcome incredible odds, and those who beat the system that is set up against them. Such is the case of Fleming. I view his book not only as a story, but as a call to action; a voice telling us that it’s time to act.

Brandon Fleming is a young black man who survived physical & sexual abuse, neglect, gang banging, drug dealing, a failed college basketball career, and a suicide attempt to become a teacher, mentor and director & founder of the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Program — a program that gives black youth in Atlanta the opportunity to study and compete at Harvard’s summer debate residency.

Most of the transformation stories that we hear are from people who are much older reflecting on their past experiences through the Jim Crow era or the Civil Right Movement. This is a story about someone who came of age during the ‘big white T-shirt with Timbs’ phase of the 90s/00s. This story is from someone who “Milly Rocked” and “Cranked Dat Soulja Boy” on the dance floor at prom — someone from MY generation. That’s what I appreciate most about this story. It’s real and relevant!

I love the message in the title of this memoir, Miseducated. Some of us aren’t just underprivileged or poor, rather we are taught too much about things that are irrelevant to our struggle or we lack the teachings of things that can elevate us. We’re taught how to survive the streets and not how to survive in the corporate world because a lot of our family members & peers never really made it out of the streets to begin with. We’re taught about Abe Lincoln & Shakespeare but not taught enough about WEB Dubois & Langston Hughes. That’s what it means to be miseducated.

Brandon P. Fleming writes with honesty and a self-disclosing bravery. Miseducated is a book to read, consider, and appreciate as this author describes his journey. Highly recommended.

Miseducated has “Starring Denzel Washington” written all over it or perhaps someone younger like Michael B Jordan or Daniel Kaluuya — idk but I do know that as I was reading this story I felt like I was watching the movie in my head.

Thank you @netgalley and @bpfleming for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Brandon Fleming is a young black man who survived physical & sexual abuse, neglect, gang banging, drug dealing, a failed college basketball career, and a suicide attempt to become a teacher, mentor and director & founder of the Harvard Debate Council Diversity Program — a program that gives black youth in Atlanta the opportunity to study and compete at Harvard’s summer debate residency.

Most of the transformation stories that we hear are from people who are much older reflecting on their past experiences through the Jim Crow era or the Civil Right Movement. This is a story about someone who came of age during the ‘big white T-shirt with Timbs’ phase of the 90s/00s. This story is from someone who “Milly Rocked” and “Cranked Dat Soulja Boy” on the dance floor at prom — someone from MY generation. That’s what I appreciate most about this story. It’s real and relevant!

I love the message in the title of this memoir, Miseducated. Some of us aren’t just underprivileged or poor, rather we are taught too much about things that are irrelevant to our struggle or we lack the teachings of things that can elevate us. We’re taught how to survive the streets and not how to survive in the corporate world because a lot of our family members & peers never really made it out of the streets to begin with. We’re taught about Abe Lincoln & Shakespeare but not taught enough about WEB Dubois & Langston Hughes. That’s what it means to be miseducated.

Miseducated deserves to be on the big screen — think the transformation of Malcolm X movie meets the triumph of The Great Debaters!

Thank you @bpfleming for a honest, inspiring coming of age story!

Wow strong 5 ⭐️ Thank you netgalley for this ARC

This book touched down on alot of topics. And i want to thank the author for being so vulnerable and sharing his story and what he went through his family etc.

It was honestly amazing to read about how many people brandon helped it truly was so beautiful he saw himself in alot of the people and stuff he did in his past and he didnt want people doing what he did so he wanted to help people for the better and make them strive because he knew they had it in them. He was hard on them but it all was worth it in the end.

He even wrote about things that i didnt know of and i thank you for talking about some of these things.

Also i never knew ron clark did all these different things i watched him on survivor and just thought he was a teacher and that was it.. so thank you for informing me on him aswell!

I loved reading this story because it touched down on alot of topics we deal with in america.

The mind of brandon was just so amazing to me he knew what he wanted and he made sure he reached his goals and helping people along the way like his younger brother etc was so important and im glad he shared that.

Also the writing in this book was great.

Im so glad brandon found himself and didnt let his past define him and he grew from it and is doing such great things for the youth. This memoir was such a great read. I love a good memoir so thank YOU brandon for sharing your story and the stories of others along the way and also informing me on people from long ago.

The young man has lived man lives in one. Beginning his childhood in a mentally and terribly phyisically abusive home, he escapes in basketball and becomes quite good. He becomes an excellent basketball player yet his schoolwork suffers with his PTSD from the abusive home life and he begins a life of drugs and alcohol. He becomes injured, and that puts an end to his basketball career.

There are mentors and teachers who care for him and feel he has potential. They encourage him to put his energy into reading and schoolwork that he put into basketball. He does so, and eventually becomes interesting in debating. HIs debate skills become formidable and take him to Harvard. Many people seek him out, and he begins to teach and teaches many programs, becoming a leader in his own right. Truly inspirational story.