Pushed to the Edge
publishing date: April 7, 2026
publishing date: April 7, 2026
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Advance praise for Pushed to the Edge
from Dave Eggers: “I found this to be a bittersweet—very bitter, very sweet—paean to the life of American teachers. There are few jobs more difficult or important, and yet our government, at every level, finds ways to make teaching less appealing. Sue Granzella has written a very gentle, very reasonable, and often upsetting account of how some very gentle, very reasonable, and justifiably upset teachers are handling this uniquely tough time in the history of American education. And though so much of what she reports is dire, these teachers, and their resilience, compassion and craftiness, will give you hope in bleak times as they find ways to look out for their most vulnerable students.” Dave Eggers, author, founder of Scholar Match, co-founder of 826 National |
from Lori Ostlund:
"The spark for Sue Granzella's PUSHED TO THE EDGE is seemingly simple: how, she wonders, are teachers and librarians affected by the culture wars in their own classrooms? To answer the question, Granzella hits the road, driving around California to talk to teachers on their own turf, bringing together first-rate storytelling and research as well as her own experiences in the classroom to take the pulse of this country right now. The result, this compelling, troubling, and insightful book, is anything but simple. It is a must-read for all educators, all parents, all Americans."
Lori Ostlund, educator, LGBTQ activist, and author of Are You Happy?
"The spark for Sue Granzella's PUSHED TO THE EDGE is seemingly simple: how, she wonders, are teachers and librarians affected by the culture wars in their own classrooms? To answer the question, Granzella hits the road, driving around California to talk to teachers on their own turf, bringing together first-rate storytelling and research as well as her own experiences in the classroom to take the pulse of this country right now. The result, this compelling, troubling, and insightful book, is anything but simple. It is a must-read for all educators, all parents, all Americans."
Lori Ostlund, educator, LGBTQ activist, and author of Are You Happy?
from JoAnne Tompkins:
"Heartbreaking yet hopeful, Sue Granzella’s PUSHED TO THE EDGE is a powerful revelation of the war taking place against public school teachers and their students. even in a “progressive” state. Clear-eyed and direct, Granzella’s essays act as a clarion call to protect and support the teachers who devote their lives to the safety and truthful education of all of our country’s children, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or LGBTQ+ orientation. With a luminous heart and an artist’s eye, Granzella reduced me to tears, filled my heart, sustained hope and made me laugh. PUSHED TO THE EDGE is an important and essential work."
JoAnne Tompkins, author of What Comes After,
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Runner Up in Fiction Award,
New York Times Editor’s Choice Pick
"Heartbreaking yet hopeful, Sue Granzella’s PUSHED TO THE EDGE is a powerful revelation of the war taking place against public school teachers and their students. even in a “progressive” state. Clear-eyed and direct, Granzella’s essays act as a clarion call to protect and support the teachers who devote their lives to the safety and truthful education of all of our country’s children, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or LGBTQ+ orientation. With a luminous heart and an artist’s eye, Granzella reduced me to tears, filled my heart, sustained hope and made me laugh. PUSHED TO THE EDGE is an important and essential work."
JoAnne Tompkins, author of What Comes After,
Dayton Literary Peace Prize Runner Up in Fiction Award,
New York Times Editor’s Choice Pick
How the book came to be
I traveled my home state of California, meeting with public school teachers and librarians who had a story to tell about being an educator during the age of culture wars.
Most of what the teachers and librarians told me revolves around:
- discriminatory treatment of LGBTQ+ students and teachers;
- banning of Critical Race Theory (code for "stop teaching Black History"); and
- book bans.
I wrote their stories, and wove them together with vignettes from my own teaching career. The resulting book will be published by The New Press in spring of 2026.
My hope is that by sharing these stories, more people will understand the essential work of educators, and will insist on putting an end to the societal scapegoating of teachers.
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