Combining critical thinking about education with autobiographical narratives, bell hooks invites readers to extend the discourse of race, gender, class and nationality beyond the classroom into everyday situations of learning.

Preface: Teaching and Living in Hope1. The Will to Learn: The World as Classroom2. Time Out: Classrooms without Boundaries3. Talking Race and Racism4. Democratic Education5. What Happens When White People Change6. Standards7. How Can We Serve8. Moving beyond Shame9. Keepers of Hope: Teaching in Communities10. Progressive Learning: A Family Value11. Heart to Heart: Teaching with Love12. Good Sex: Passionate Pedagogy13. Spirituality in Education14. This Is Our Life: Teaching toward Death15. Spiritual Matters in the Classroom16. Practical Wisdom

"Fans of hooks's earlier works, especially the landmark Teaching To Transgress, will welcome this new collection of essays on combating racism and sexism in education. Drawing extensively on her personal experiences as both student and teacher, hooks articulates a vision of democratic, progressive education that focuses on the classroom as a 'life-sustaining and mind-expanding' place. As with her previous books, her latest is passionate, opinionated, and challenging. While her statement that a '[commitment] to teaching well is a commitment to service' will attract some, her claims that racism, sexism, and class conflict are driving forces in the curriculum and in relations between teachers and students will unsettle many. Despite its challenging nature (or, more likely, because of it), the collection will interest students of education, ethnic and cultural studies, and women's studies." -- Library Journal"Refreshingly original thinking about spirituality, family values, and even erotic relationships between professors and students...The author's clear and consistent voice for progressive, democratic education adds an important dimension to society's thinking about shared values and the creation of a loving and fair community." -- Publishers Weekly"Teaching Community is magnificent. Educators, learners, and intellectuals will find the book to be an eye opening piece of work. [hook's] mastery of language, as it always does, creates a highly stimulating space from which readers can learn and actively participate in the analytical process. Black, white, male, female, teacher, and student should read the book for themselves and for the beloved community." -- Rolling Out"hooks addresses many other topics of keen interest to all educators at various stages of their careers." -- Rosemary P. Carbine, College of the Holy Cross, Teaching Theology and Religion