Writer and researcher Amy Mackin will release her debut novel, Henry’s Classroom: A Special Education in American Motherhood, on May 6, 2025.
Henry’s Classroom follows one mother’s tenacious commitment to ensure the best outcome for her child while revealing a larger story of ineffective systems that are failing millions of families across America.
“It’s a love story, a story about raising children with disabilities, and a beautifully written story about a mother’s quest to ensure that her son receives the education he deserves.” —Linda Murphy Marshall, author of Ivy Lodge: A Memoir of Translation and Discovery.
Available wherever books are sold.
Description:
Over 7 million students ages 3-21 across the United States receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Amy Mackin’s son, Henry, is one of them. As she navigates the medical, social, and educational systems that are designed to help families like hers, she discovers that staffing shortages, budget restrictions, ineffective communication practices, and a resistance to innovative ideas all threaten her son’s ability to reach his full potential.
Henry’s Classroom takes readers on Amy’s often frustrating, sometimes funny journey with her son—from the initial stages of a developmental delay, through early intervention, eventual diagnosis, and Henry’s challenges within the public education system—until they finally turn away from traditional structures and create something new instead. As much a work of cultural criticism as it is a memoir, Henry’s Classroom argues that an expanded, more flexible vision of American schools and workplaces is essential for our society to realize true equity and inclusion.
About the author:
Amy Mackin writes at the intersection of education, cultural history, public health, and social equity. Her work has appeared in outlets such as The Atlantic, Chalkbeat, The Washington Post, Witness, and The Shriver Report. She earned her MA in American Studies from the University of Massachusetts and her MFA in Nonfiction Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Over the last several years, she has held leadership roles in the public health, science, and higher education sectors. Amy loves the fickle weather and spectacular landscapes of New England, where she resides with her family and always at least one friendly feline.
About Apprentice House:
Apprentice House is the nation’s first and largest entirely student-managed book publisher. Students at Loyola University Maryland are responsible for every aspect of the publishing process, from acquisitions to design and publication of every book. Our mission is, first and foremost, to educate students about the book publishing process.
As a program within the Communication Department at Loyola University Maryland, it is driven by student work conducted in four courses: Introduction to Book Publishing, Manuscript Acquisitions and Development, Book Design and Production, and Book Marketing and Promotion.
Students in these courses serve as staff in Apprentice House’s acquisitions, design, and marketing departments, respectively.