Paulo Freire is regarded by many as the most significant educational thinker of the twentieth century. This volume offers Freire's own intimate retrospection of his life and work. These reflections, dedicated to his niece Cristina, provide a backdrop for a deeper understanding of how his experiences are linked to his philosophical and pedagogical work.

    Introduction; Chapter 1 First Letter; Chapter 2 Second Letter; Chapter 3 Third Letter; Chapter 4 Fourth Letter; Chapter 5 Fifth Letter; Chapter 6 Sixth Letter; Chapter 7 Seventh Letter; Chapter 8 Eighth Letter; Chapter 9 Ninth Letter; Chapter 10 Tenth Letter; Chapter 11 Eleventh Letter; Chapter 12 Twelfth Letter; Chapter 13 Thirteenth Letter; Chapter 14 Fourteenth Letter; Chapter 15 Fifteenth Letter; Chapter 16 Sixteenth Letter; Chapter 17 Seventeenth Letter; Chapter 18 Eighteenth Letter;

    Biography

    the city of Sao Paulo. He is the author of numerous books, including Pedagogy of the Oppressed; The Politics of Education: Culture, Power and Liberation; Education for Critical Consciousness; Literacy: Reading the Word and the World; and Pedagogy of the City.

    "The immediacy of the issues that Freire writes about in his Letters resonate today with the same clarity, strength of conviction, and force as they did in Pedagogy of the Oppressed and in his Pedagogy of Hope: Reliving of Pedagogy of the Oppressed. His Letters are an open invitation to all educators to deepen our convictions for a pedagogy for liberation, and to broaden our conceptions of how we can address ourselves and those with whom we struggle. His words strengthen and revivify our resolve and our humility toward a critical pedagogy grounded in action." -- Harvard Educational Review
    "Letters to Cristina is an absolutely riveting work of narrative and retrospective by the most important educator of our times. Tenderly written and deeply personal, these politically charged letters come to us as blessings in a dry season. Incredibly poignant and wonderfully accessible in a superb translation, these memoirs transcend ideology and touch the heart." -- Jonathan Kozol
    "While touching nearly all of the ethical, ideological, historical, sociological, political, and theological frameworks which have grounded Freire's life and work, this is an intimate, poetic, and successful attempt to make the past events of one life reflect on each other simultaneously." -- The Boston Book Review
    "Letters to Cristina is an important read for educators and parents." -- Publisher's Weekly