Awards & Honors for The Real Education of TJ Crowley

Celebrating Excellence in Audio & Literature

Winner of the prestigious AudioFile Earphones Award, J. Donald & Bertha Coffin Memorial Book Award, and now a Finalist for the 2025 Audie Award (Young Adult category), The Real Education of TJ Crowley: Coming of Age on the Redline has captivated audiences with its powerful storytelling and immersive audio experience.

Critical Acclaim & Praise

“Performed by a gifted cast, this slice of our history stays with the listener.”
— AudioFile Magazine (Earphones Award Winner; June 2024)

“The Real Education of TJ Crowley is a deftly crafted, thought-provoking, and solidly entertaining work of historical fiction. Unreservedly recommended for both school and community library YA fiction collections.”
— Midwest Book Review

“I am thoroughly impressed! Couldn’t put it down.”
— Sarah Bagby, Owner, Watermark Books & Cafe’, Fiction Judge for the 2015 National Book Awards

“The Real Education of TJ Crowley is a remarkable book… I heartily recommend it.”
— Mark Potok, former Senior Fellow, Southern Poverty Law Center

A Story That Sparks Conversations

“Set in an explosive moment in America’s racial history, this coming-of-age story prompted me to consider my own moral courage… I was on the edge of my seat, turning the pages and rooting for TJ as he navigated his young life with increasing clarity.”
— Debby Irving, author of Waking Up White

“Too often, the conversation about race omits the role of whiteness in the equation. The Real Education of TJ Crowley is the perfect book to spur frank discussions about whiteness with teens and young adults, offering insights into the fear and hate of white supremacy and a model of how a white person can change… This book will provoke meaningful discussions in the classroom.”
— Jenna Chandler-Ward, Co-Founder of Teaching While White

“This is a book that demands discussion. Read it in a group and talk genuinely about history and its important connection to current society.”
— Marguerite Penick-Parks, Ph.D., co-editor of Everyday White People and A Guide for White Women Teaching Black Boys

A Captivating Young Adult Read

“I found The Real Education of TJ Crowley an eye-opening coming-of-age book for young adults… The characters are very well written and relatable, and the overall plot is very gripping. The Real Education of TJ Crowley… is a book I would definitely recommend to others.”
— Tiffany Ferrell, Readers’ Favorite reviewer

“I give The Real Education of TJ Crowley 5 stars and urge anyone who has a middle school or early high school student in their family to purchase this exciting new novel by Grant Overstake. It’s historical fiction at its best and a good story.”
— Nancy Julien Kopp, contributor, Chicken Soup for the Soul

“This intense young adult novel presents numerous racial stereotypes and then shatters them.”
— Timothy Hayes, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist

A Groundbreaking Audio Experience

“Once I started listening to this audio drama, I could not stop… The casting was perfect and the audio elements like music, choir, and sound effects gave the story an authentic boost. I loved it!”
— Audible listener review

“This superbly produced audio-theater adaptation of The Real Education of TJ Crowley makes an important contribution to contemporary narratives about race in American life and echoes concerns we hold for how to raise boys in a violent world.”
— Audible listener review

Experience The Real Education of TJ Crowley

Available in print, eBook, and audiobook formats.
Hear the award-winning audio adaptation now!