| Foreword | p. xiii |
| Freshman Year--Fall 1994 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 1 |
| First day of school | p. 6 |
| Racial segregation at school | p. 8 |
| Getting "jumped" | p. 9 |
| Race riot on campus | p. 11 |
| Buying a gun | p. 12 |
| Death of a friend | p. 14 |
| Gang initiation | p. 16 |
| "Rushing" a sorority | p. 17 |
| Tagging | p. 20 |
| Proposition 187: Discrimination | p. 22 |
| Dyslexia | p. 23 |
| Juvenile hall | p. 24 |
| The projects | p. 26 |
| Russian roulette | p. 27 |
| Freshman Year--Spring 1995 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 30 |
| Romeo and Juliet: Gang rivalry | p. 33 |
| Teenage love and running away | p. 34 |
| Coping with weight | p. 36 |
| Learning about diversity | p. 38 |
| Oklahoma bombing | p. 39 |
| Farewell to Manzanar: Japanese internment camps | p. 40 |
| Overcoming adversity panel | p. 41 |
| John Tu: Father figure vs. absent father | p. 43 |
| Freshman turnaround | p. 45 |
| Sophomore Year--Fall 1995 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 47 |
| Homelessness | p. 51 |
| Cystic fibrosis | p. 54 |
| Shyness | p. 55 |
| Twelve Angry Men | p. 55 |
| Honors English | p. 57 |
| Medieval Times | p. 58 |
| Lesson on tolerance | p. 60 |
| Toast for change | p. 61 |
| Change for the better | p. 63 |
| Testifying in murder case | p. 64 |
| Teenage alcoholism | p. 67 |
| Shoplifting | p. 68 |
| Anne Frank's diary | p. 71 |
| Teen diarists | p. 71 |
| Zlata's Diary--Bosnia vs. L.A. riots | p. 73 |
| Peter Maass: Article on Bosnia | p. 74 |
| Zlata | p. 76 |
| Sophomore Year--Spring 1996 | |
| A Letter to Zlata | p. 78 |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 79 |
| Meeting a Holocaust survivor | p. 84 |
| The woman who sheltered Anne Frank's family | p. 85 |
| "Moment" | p. 87 |
| Zlata accepts our invitation | p. 89 |
| Dinner with Zlata | p. 90 |
| Diverse friendships | p. 91 |
| "I am a human being" | p. 92 |
| Terrorism | p. 94 |
| Day of tolerance: A field trip | p. 96 |
| Doing speed | p. 98 |
| Basketball for Bosnia: Weight | p. 101 |
| Zlata's Letter | p. 103 |
| Divorce | p. 104 |
| Friends join class | p. 106 |
| Letter from Miep | p. 107 |
| Junior Year--Fall 1996 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 108 |
| Racist teacher | p. 112 |
| A grandmother's death | p. 114 |
| Race riot | p. 117 |
| Grade accountability | p. 119 |
| Suicide | p. 120 |
| Running away | p. 121 |
| Getting a job | p. 123 |
| Misogyny | p. 125 |
| Molestation | p. 126 |
| Boyfriend abuse | p. 129 |
| Domestic violence | p. 131 |
| Child abuse | p. 133 |
| Death of brother | p. 136 |
| Junior Year--Spring 1997 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 139 |
| Anne Frank's friends visit | p. 142 |
| Masking fears | p. 143 |
| Living in the projects | p. 144 |
| Dyslexia | p. 147 |
| Letter from Miep | p. 148 |
| Student editing | p. 150 |
| Abortion | p. 151 |
| Catalysts for change | p. 152 |
| Freedom Riders | p. 154 |
| An American Diary . . . Voices from an Undeclared War | p. 156 |
| Fund-raiser concert | p. 158 |
| Freedom Writer poem | p. 159 |
| Freedom Writers unite | p. 160 |
| Strict father | p. 162 |
| Arlington Cemetery | p. 164 |
| Lincoln Memorial: Freedom Writers have a dream | p. 165 |
| Covering up the swastika | p. 166 |
| Hate crimes | p. 167 |
| Holocaust Museum | p. 169 |
| Dr. Mengele's experiment with twins | p. 170 |
| Dinner with Secretary Riley | p. 172 |
| "Stand" | p. 173 |
| Secretary Riley receives Freedom Writers' diary | p. 175 |
| Candlelight vigil | p. 177 |
| Departing D.C. | p. 178 |
| Returning a family hero | p. 181 |
| Jeremy Strohmeyer: Murder | p. 183 |
| David Cash | p. 184 |
| Peace march for Sherrice Iverson | p. 185 |
| Senior Class President | p. 187 |
| Separation anxiety | p. 188 |
| Staying together | p. 190 |
| Senior Year--Fall 1997 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 192 |
| Cheryl Best: Inspiration | p. 195 |
| "Eviction Notice" | p. 197 |
| Financial problems | p. 198 |
| Illegal immigrant | p. 200 |
| The first Latina Secretary of Education | p. 202 |
| Pursuing filmmaking | p. 204 |
| Road not taken: Contemplating college | p. 205 |
| Finding a mentor | p. 206 |
| Being a mentor | p. 208 |
| Los Angeles Times article | p. 210 |
| A letter from prison | p. 211 |
| Deadbeat dad | p. 212 |
| Sorority hazing | p. 214 |
| Fear of losing a father | p. 216 |
| Death of a mother | p. 218 |
| Senior Year--Spring 1998 | |
| Ms. Gruwell's Diary Entry | p. 221 |
| Guess? sponsorship | p. 223 |
| Spirit of Anne Frank Award | p. 225 |
| New York City roommates | p. 227 |
| Celebrating Anne Frank | p. 229 |
| Abuse of power | p. 230 |
| Peter Maass: The role of a journalist | p. 232 |
| Book agent | p. 233 |
| Getting published | p. 234 |
| Basketball playoffs: Teamwork | p. 235 |
| A lesson from Animal Farm | p. 237 |
| Attitude adjustment | p. 238 |
| Introducing Senator Barbara Boxer | p. 241 |
| Attention deficit disorder | p. 242 |
| Homosexuality | p. 244 |
| Prom queen | p. 245 |
| "Whoever saves one life saves the world entire" | p. 247 |
| Breaking the cycle | p. 249 |
| Football all-American | p. 251 |
| Baseball dilemma | p. 253 |
| A college acceptance | p. 254 |
| Fear of abandonment | p. 255 |
| Teenage pregnancy | p. 257 |
| Southwest Airlines | p. 259 |
| Computers for college! | p. 260 |
| The giving tree: Crackhead parents | p. 261 |
| Graduation Class Speaker | p. 263 |
| From drugs to honors | p. 264 |
| Overcoming the odds | p. 267 |
| Graduation! | p. 268 |
| Epilogue | p. 272 |
| Acknowledgments | p. 278 |
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