I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High

In this endearing memoir, Danza defies expectations by embracing his Taxi and Who’s the Boss personae with self-deprecating humor and a deep appreciation for his new role as a 10th grade English teacher at Philadelphia’s Northeast High School. With refreshing honesty, Danza recalls how the lows of his TV talk show getting canceled combined with his marital troubles propelled him to fulfill his long-lost desire to teach. The award-winning actor, with altruistic goals, reluctantly joins forces with A&E television to make his vision a reality—and a reality television show. The kids in Danza’s classroom seem to fit every stereotype of modern students, but the earnestness with which Danza approaches his year in high school is engaging. Throughout, the reader learns about Danza’s commitment via his attempts to reach each student and to help them work through anger, parental problems, and social upheavals. He lucidly explains the plight of his students and his attempts to engage them with Shakespearean sonnets that may seem irrelevant to them and classic novels (Of Mice and Men; To Kill a Mockingbird). Danza’s writing style is accessible to a wide audience, and while there might be a bit of the jocular boss left in him, he provides insights into a teacher’s daily life. Agent: Peter McGuigan, Foundry Media. (Sept.)