University Libraries Promotion and Tenure Recognition

Literacy in African American Communities (Harris et al., 2001) brings together researchers from communication sciences and disorders, education, linguistics, psychology, gerontology, and nursing to discuss the current state of affairs on literacy in African Americans. This book will be a unique contribution to the libraries because of its detailed analyses of the denotative and connotative meanings of literacy for African Americans across the life span. I really like this book because it bridges a range of topics that represent the richness of the history and course of African American literacy. Some highlights include: a) historical perspectives of literacy for African Americans; b) the personal impact of literacy; b) parent-child reading practices; c) storytelling styles; d) dialectal influence and home-school connections; e) literacy in the African Diaspora: Black Caribbean Americans; f) the impact of church and home communities; g) adult literacy programs; h) strategy instruction for text recall in adults; and i) computer literacy for adults. This is a must read for all professionals working in the areas of language and literacy.