The author of Sex, Lies, and a Charter School, Dikombi Gite, has a mission to his writing. He presents his work as a novel, although he alludes to changing the names of characters “to protect the innocent ad the guilty.” Once we gain entry to his world there are no punches pulled and there is no failure to communicate. The charter school highlighted is fraught with restless, uninspired students, teachers, and parents. The administration’s financial accounting (used to justify tax dollars spent) is shoddy at best, criminal at worst, and the protagonist, Jacoby White,  watches his dream of teaching and helping the children of his community spiral out of control in less than one year.

The charter school highlighted is fraught with restless, uninspired students, teachers, and parents. The administration’s financial accounting (used to justify tax dollars spent) is shoddy at best, criminal at worst, and the protagonist, Jacoby White,  watches his dream of teaching and helping the children of his community spiral out of control in less than one year.

Gite is educated and articulate as he provides a narrative through is his character, Jacoby White. We are introduced to the frustrations and fear presented to first-year teachers and the confusion and mismanagement presented to students who attend one specific charter school in the Houston, Texas area. Are the issues presented a scathing indictment of our charter school system, our government’s management of the schools, or our society as a whole? Probably all three, unfortunately.

Sex, Lies and a Charter School is worth reading if you believe our school system is fine, your tax dollars are being used wisely, and our children have every chance of gaining the American dream we all want our children to achieve. If you don’t believe those things, well, you are a realist or you’ve already read this book.

Four Stars