America to Me

""America to Me" is not just for those who care about kids, public education, or the state of race relations in this country. It is a master class in storytelling, well worth the time of anyone who recognizes the power of story to illuminate issues in ways that numbers alone never can."

“'America to Me' has a different energy than most films about young life in the ‘10s, largely because the lengthy running time allows the production to breathe in ways that most documentary films don’t, but also because of James’ deep humanism, one that challenges preconceptions and conveys a deep love for his fellow man.”

“Few people want to talk about racism, but rarely has the conversation been more important. Leave it to James to find a way in for us all.”

“James is back at it again… Making his point via character hurdles more than grandstanding pronouncements, James takes viewers from wrestling practice to a spoken-word poetry club, from the cheerleading squad to a remedial reading class, to show how African Americans are treated in subtly different ways than white students.”

“I suspect that 'America to Me' will end up being one of the year’s best shows of any kind.”

"James’ latest addresses two immense stories—race and education in America—by way of dozens of memorable, interconnected subjects… There is an awful lot here, and I may be wrong, but I think ‘America to Me’ will end up doing a lot of good for a lot of people.”

“The characters themselves are compulsively watchable, and as an expertly constructed docuseries, 'America to Me' feels like a high school drama, except one where the stakes are real.”

“A binge-worthy longitudinal study of race—and racial disparities—in education as seen through the microcosm of one large suburban Chicago high school, and its cast of eminently engaging students and teachers.”