In 2013, Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced the closing of 47 under-utilized and under-resourced schools, mostly on the south and west sides of Chicago.

The news was met with community uproar and action that included marches, sit-ins, a hunger strike, and many public, passionate pleas to save the schools.

Former Chicago teacher Eve Ewing struggled to reconcile why community members would go to such lengths to save these “failing” schools. Focusing on Bronzeville, Ewing interviewed students, caregivers, and teachers; attended and analyzed closure hearings; and combed through historical documentation of public housing and segregation to understand how African-American students are undervalued. Ghosts in the Schoolyard is unmissable for anyone interested in how racism continues to drive policy in Chicago.