Thank You, Teachers

The son of a teacher himself, James Patterson brings us the real-life stories-the drama, the tragedies, the triumphs-of today's classrooms.



Teaching is among the most noble professions, yet today's teachers face unprecedented challenges-from limited funding in school districts to book banning to gun violence to politics infiltrating education. In classrooms across the country, teachers demonstrate resilience and ingenuity as they dedicate their lives to improving those of future generations.
Teachers change students' lives.
In one moving story, a student about to take a military special ops exam is sitting in the barber's chair getting his hair cut, when he has the sudden realization: "I would not be sitting in this chair if it wasn't for my fifth-grade teacher."
He tracks down the teacher and tells her: "You were the first person who ever believed in me."
"I'm so touched," she says, through tears. "Calls like that are what teaching is all about. I try to remember this feeling when I have a tough class, a tough day, a tough year." James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women's Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster Eruption. He has told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Matt Eversmann retired from the Army after twenty years of service. His first book with James Patterson was Walk in My Combat Boots.