One of my favorite moments in all Stephen King’s books is the scene between Mr. Morton the principal and Chris Hargensen’s father in Carrie. A big shot lawyer who threatens to sue the school if his dear sweet daughter isn’t allowed to go to prom… and Mr. Morton, who’s a bit bumbling, kept getting Carrie’s name wrong after her shower mishap, defends Carrie and refuses to be intimidated by Chris’ father in the slightest.
Aside from the triumph over snobbery, King writes from Mr. Morton’s POV with so much authenticity. You feel all the weight and flesh of being a embattled school principal, facing yet another self-aggrandizing parent.
Are there any other books that give so much realism to school administrators as King does here? They do not have to be horror! Thank you.
by illbeyourshelter
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How about *Election* by Tom Perrotta? I don’t know how realistic it is, but Wikipedia says it’s “about a high school history teacher who attempts to sabotage a manipulative, ambitious girl’s campaign to become school president”. The book was made in to a movie that put Reese Witherspoon on the map – she’s amazing in it, with Matthew Broderick as the teacher who tries to foil her schemes.