Failing Up: A Professor's Odyssey of Flunking, Determination, and Hope

Failing UP was recognized as one of only 2% of books reviewed to earn a Kirkus STAR—the most prestigious designation in the book industry in awarding books of exceptional merit.

When people first meet Barbara Hong, they often conclude that her life must have always been enriched. They assume she had loving, successful parents and all the support she needed to reach her goals. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Hong’s path to an Ivy League university and beyond started in a filthy tenement in Singapore where she lived with an abusive father and an illiterate mother. Even as a child of six, she worked in her sweatshop home to help with extra money, which her father often wasted on alcohol. As she endured his drinking and abuse, she feared that the pain she internalized could shatter her.

But instead of falling apart, Hong managed to escape her misery, thanks to a teacher who believed in her. Once she knew she wasn’t the brainless “cabbage head” her mother called her, she began excelling as a student, eventually finding the courage to leave her home and discover her true calling as a knowledge seeker, educator, and an advocate.

Hong’s inspirational journey from a sweatshop home upbringing to an influential dean and professor movingly illustrates the true strength of the human spirit and the power of teachers.

To Read the Kirkus Review, visit: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/barbara-hong/failing-up/

Barbara Hong received her doctorate from Columbia University in Special Education in addition to three master's degrees in Instructional Practices, Policy & Leadership, and as a Learning Specialist. She was also a three-time recipient of the prestigious Senior Fulbright Scholar award.

Hong has been a professor for more than twenty-three years and has taught in New York, Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Hawaii, Turkey, Taiwan, and Qatar. Hong was appointed by the US State Department, Bureau of International and Information Programs, as a Speaker Specialist and Expert on Disability where she consults with governmental agencies around the globe.

Hong's research examines the cognitive science of teaching and learning, particularly for students with disabilities, and the development of self-determination through the ethics of caring. Thus far, Hong's research has been cited in the Handbook of Adult Learning, Wiley Library of Higher Education, Vanderbilt University's Peabody Recommended Readings, British Library, and the Hong Kong Institute of Education Library.

Hong is a recipient of the International Teacher-of-Honor Award and the University Exemplary Faculty Award. She is a licensed special educator, school principal, and district administrator.