Reviews
"With the thoroughness of an excellent journalist and the sensitivity of a novelist, Beth Fertigwrites about three young New Yorkers lost in the forest of illiteracy.Why cant U teach me 2read'makes clear that learning to read requires also being taught how to read-there is noclassroom exchange more central between a student and a teacher."-Richard Rodriguez, author ofHunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez "Beth Fertig cares profoundly for the students whose stories she tells here; she has compassiontoo for the administrators, teachers, specialists, and family members caught up in their struggle.Her generosity of spirit never interferes with her clear-sighted and rigorous account of theissues they all confront. Reading this book will change the way you think about the urgent,confused, elusive issue of literacy."-Andrew Solomon, author ofThe Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression "The notion that our nation's public schools can teach every child is one that just abouteveryone can embrace, but it becomes more and more complicated when one examines therealities faced by specific students. Beth Fertig has given voice to real children who haveslipped through the cracks in the New York City schools, and reminds us that even wellintentionedefforts by strong leaders to protect the next generation of students face tremendousobstacles. Fertig reminds us that we have a long way to go if we are to live up to thepromise of giving every child a chance to read and to live the American Dream."-Joe Williams, Executive Director, Democrats for Education Reform, and author ofCheating Our Kids: How Politics and Greed Ruin Education "Beth Fertig's lively book is worth a shelfful of foundation studies on urban education policy.This is reporting at its finest, combining clear explanations of political and bureaucraticbattles with compassionate, revealing portraits of how life is lived by the countless thousandswho graduate from our broken schools clutching certificates and diplomas they cannot read.Fertig conducts a skilled tour through the great labyrinth of big-city schools, showing howthey succeed, why they fail, and why lasting change remains so elusive."-Errol Louis, columnist, New YorkDaily News, and host ofThe Morning Show, WWRL-AM "Why cant U teach me 2 read'is a finely detailed picture of public schools' daily struggles to getstudents with the most difficult challenges to read. Its portrayal of heroics and heartbreakholds valuable lessons for the ongoing movement to reform public education."-Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO, Harlem Children's Zone "An NPR reporter tackles the often overlooked American illiteracy problem through the stories of three students and one very troubled school system . . . [WHY CANT U TEACH ME 2 READ is a] carefully considered treatment of a troubling subject that will be particularly useful to educators and policymakers."-Kirkus Reviews"Using the case studies of three impoverished students of Dominican descent . . . Fertig unearths some knotty issues affecting the scholastic success of inner-city students, such as English as a second language, family environment and, especially, misdiagnosis of learning disabilities such as dyslexia . . . A, Beth Fertig writes with the thoroughness of an excellent journalist and the sensitivity of a novelist of three young New Yorkers lost in the forest of illiteracy.Why cant U teach me 2 read'makes clear that learning to read requires also being taught how to read--there is no classroom exchange more central between a student and a teacher.-Richard Rodriguez, author ofHunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez Beth Fertig cares profoundly for the students whose stories she tells here; she has compassion too for the administrators, teachers, specialists, and family members caught up in their struggle. Her generosity of spirit never interferes with her clear-sighted and rigorous account of the issues they all confront. Reading this book will change the way you think about the urgent, confused, elusive issue of literacy.-Andrew Solomon, author ofThe Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression, "Beth Fertig writes about three young New Yorkers lost in the forest of illiteracy with the thoroughness of an excellent journalist and the sensitivity of a novelist.Why cant U teach me 2 read'makes clear that learning to read requires also being taught how to read-there is no classroom exchange more central between a student and a teacher." -Richard Rodriguez, author ofHunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez "Beth Fertig cares profoundly for the students whose stories she tells here; she has compassion too for the administrators, teachers, specialists, and family members caught up in their struggle. Her generosity of spirit never interferes with her clear-sighted and rigorous account of the issues they all confront. Reading this book will change the way you think about the urgent, confused, elusive issue of literacy." -Andrew Solomon, author ofThe Noonday Demon: An Atlas of Depression "The notion that our nation's public schools can teach every child is one that just about everyone can embrace, but becomes more and more complicated when one examines the realities faced by specific students. Beth Fertig has given voice to real children who have slipped through the cracks in the New York City schools, and reminds us that even well-intentioned efforts by strong leaders to protect the next generation of students face tremendous obstacles. Fertig reminds us that we have a long way to go if we are to live up to the promise of giving every child a chance to read and live the American Dream." -Joe Williams, author ofCheating Our Kids: How Politics and Greed Ruin Education "Beth Fertig's lively book is worth a shelf full of foundation studies on urban education policy. This is reporting at its finest, combining clear explanations of political and bureaucratic battles with compassionate, revealing portraits of how life is lived by the countless thousands who graduate from our broken schools clutching certificates and diplomas they cannot read. Fertig conducts a skilled tour through the great labyrinth of big-city schools, showing how they succeed, why they fail, and why lasting change remains so elusive." -Errol Louis,columnist, New YorkDaily Newsand host of "The Morning Show," WWRL-AM
