Trained as an engineer, E. Braithewaite could not get a job in his field because of anit-black prejudice in England at the time but the need for teachers in the publc schools, especially in the poorer areas of London, enabled him to get the job. He began hating it and feeling totally inadequate but ended loving the job and the school and becoming exactly what the students needed. He only retired after 50 years when he wrote the book.
