Small Rooms and Others is a stunning collection of essays and stories by James Bryan McGeever, a New York City school teacher. When McGeever accepts a position as an instructor at one of the most historic schools in the city, he unwittingly stumbles into the heart of billionaire Michael Bloomberg's era of mayoral control. As a result of the mayor's corporate version of education reform, McGeever's school is branded persistently dangerous and marked for closure.

McGeever experiences a gauntlet of unexpected challenges, not only from his students, but administrators and politicians, as well. His favorite pupil vanishes, only to reemerge with devastating news; a gifted writer comes out to him in an essay, and there are army recruiters knocking at his door during class. When an attack occurs inside his classroom, McGeever navigates a warren of bureaucracy that lands him inside the city's infamous 'rubber room' for reassigned teachers.

This tumultuous journey makes him worry if city schools are good enough for his own child. It brings conflict into his home, into his family affairs, and more importantly, it keeps him up at night.