The Accidental Teacher is a funny factual account of the author's experience teaching English in a California public high school with absolutely no qualifications, training or previous experience. The story follows Mr. Mandel as he muddles through his first year, mangling metaphors and alienating administrators. Mr. Mandel's style is reminiscent of Frank McCourt's Teacher Man and Ken Kesey's Cukoo's Nest with a dash of David Sedaris and a shot of Hunter Thompson. A humorous and provocative everyman narrative, The Accidental Teacher will entertain and interest anyone who has taught, wants to teach, cares about public education or has dreams of changing careers late in life.
This irreverent narrative has suspense, conflict and a powerful but hapless antagonist. The book contains poignant descriptions of Mr. Mandel's efforts to teach his students while simultaneously attempting to appease his own Nurse Ratchet. He relies on his ironic sense of humor as he struggles to counter administrative absurdities, to compensate for his own deficiencies, and most importantly, to engage a very difficult group of teenagers. With his unique perspective as a newcomer, Mr. Mandel observes and comments on some of the troubling issues facing public education. His frequent digressions and pointed commentaries on the students' lives and on his own personal journey in the world of education abound with literary allusions, from the subtle to the absurd.