Plume
3 total works
WINNER OF THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
In 1964, Jonathan Kozol entered the Boston Public School system to teach fourth grade at one of its most overcrowded inner-city schools. Here, he unflinchingly exposes the disturbing "destruction of hearts and minds in the Boston public school." Death at an Early Age is the unsparing, heart-wrenching account of the year he spent there—the most shocking and powerful personal story ever told by a young teacher, now updated with a new epilogue by the author.
“Honest and terrifying… the heartbreaking story it tells has to be read.”—Robert Coles, The New York Times Book Review
“Will anger you to the boiling point and may make you want to weep… I recommend—with considerable urgency—Death at an Early Age.”—Chicago Tribune
In 1964, Jonathan Kozol entered the Boston Public School system to teach fourth grade at one of its most overcrowded inner-city schools. Here, he unflinchingly exposes the disturbing "destruction of hearts and minds in the Boston public school." Death at an Early Age is the unsparing, heart-wrenching account of the year he spent there—the most shocking and powerful personal story ever told by a young teacher, now updated with a new epilogue by the author.
“Honest and terrifying… the heartbreaking story it tells has to be read.”—Robert Coles, The New York Times Book Review
“Will anger you to the boiling point and may make you want to weep… I recommend—with considerable urgency—Death at an Early Age.”—Chicago Tribune
It is startling and it is shaming: in a country that prides itself on being among the most enlightened in the world, 25 million American adults cannot read the poison warnings on a can of pesticide, a letter from their child’s teacher, or the front page of a newspaper. An additional 35 million read below the level needed to function successfully in our society. The United States ranks forty-ninth among 158 member nations of the UN in literacy, and wastes over $100 billion annually as a result. The problem is not merely an embarrassment, it is a social and economic disaster.
In Illiterate America, Jonathan Kozol, author of National Book Award-winning Death at an Early Age, addresses this national disgrace. Combining hard statistics and heartrending stories, he describes the economic and the human costs of illiteracy. Kozol analyses and condemns previous government action—and inaction—and, in a passionate call for reform, he proposes a specific program to conquer illiteracy.
One out of every three American adults cannot read this book—which is why everyone else must.
In Illiterate America, Jonathan Kozol, author of National Book Award-winning Death at an Early Age, addresses this national disgrace. Combining hard statistics and heartrending stories, he describes the economic and the human costs of illiteracy. Kozol analyses and condemns previous government action—and inaction—and, in a passionate call for reform, he proposes a specific program to conquer illiteracy.
One out of every three American adults cannot read this book—which is why everyone else must.