Searching for Hope is a gripping account of life in a once-great highschool in a rough Indianapolis neighborhood. Granted unfiltered access to ManualHigh throughout an entire school year, award-winning journalist Matthew Tully tellsthe complex story of the everyday drama, failures, and triumphs in one of thenation’s many troubled urban public high schools. He walks readers into classrooms, offices, and hallways, painting a vivid picture of the profound academic problems, deep frustrations, and apathy that absorb and sometimes consume students, teachers, and administrators. Yet this intimate view also reveals the hopes, dreams, anduntapped talents of some amazing individuals. Providing insights into the challengesconfronting those who seek to improve the quality of America’s schools, Tully arguesthat school leaders and policy makers must rally communities to heartfelt engagementwith their schools if the crippling social and economic threats to cities such asIndianapolis are to be averted.