Professional Book Reviews: Understanding Community Literacies as Foundational to Teaching Excellence

The books reviewed here communicate that as educators, we can support academic success for all students by expanding understandings about home/community literacies. We can do this by tapping into the valuable resources that communities and families can provide. In particular, these texts focus on the expertise in communities too often marginalized in the curricular picture, helping us recognize why and how we must engage in educational efforts that liberate and educate rather than alienate and, as a result, oppress opportunities for students to succeed. Reviewed are: Urban Literacies: Critical Perspectives on Language, Learning, and Community (Valerie Kinloch); “Multiplication Is for White People”: Raising Expectations for Other People’s Children (Lisa Delpit); Bridging Literacy and Equity: The Essential Guide to Social Equity Teaching (Althier M. Lazar, Patricia A. Edwards, and Gwendolyn Thompson McMillon; A Match on Dry Grass: Community Organizing as a Catalyst for School Reform (Mark Warren and Karen Mapp).