Fusing genres of travel writing, narrative journalism, memoir, and poetry, The Local School details Colin Phelan's experiences living and working in India alongside two Indian men, one a teacher, one a truck-driver, whom he met serendipitously and with whom he hatched a powerful bond. Travelling to and from the subcontinent over the course of several years, young Phelan wrestled with questions about these two Indian men's uniquely uncommon friendship, about what makes an education, as well as the Indian subcontinent's history and complex social fabric. All the while travelling far from home, with the help of these men Colin learns that the best schools are our local schools.Utilizing archival research from the National Archives of India, Delhi, the British Library in London, and behind the scenes access in Kolkata, Delhi, Kashmir, and parts of the Garhwal Himalayan foothills, Phelan offers readers privileged access into a world they might otherwise know little about.