Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men

by Michael W. Smith and Jeffrey D. Wilhelm

Book Overview

The problems of boys in schools, especially in reading and writing, have been the focus of statistical data, but rarely does research point out how literacy educators can combat those problems. That situation has changed. Michael Smith and Jeff Wilhelm, two of the most respected names in English education and in the teaching of reading, worked with a very diverse group of young men to understand how they use literacy and what conditions promote...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0867095091
• ISBN13: 9780867095098
• Release Date: March 2002
• Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 7.3" x 9.3"
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Reading Don't Fix No Chevys: Literacy in the Lives of Young Men

This an informative study of reading in the high school setting and why we are having so many problems interesting boys in literacy.

An Essential Read for All High School Teachers

I read this book as a part of a Graduate level course in education I am taking at Rutgers University; the very University its author Michael Smith (who co-wrote with Jeffrey Wilhelm) once taught at. I found this book indispensible in its informative snapshots of high school boys from different backgrounds. It is clear that the language arts do not suffer from irrelevance for boys but perhaps from being taught in such a way that does not connect the texts with the boys' existing literary knowledge. After reading this book, you will learn that there are many ways to engage boys in the teaching of the language arts. I highly recommend this book. It is one of the top five best educational books I have read so far. Exceptional!

Brilliant and Inspiring for Any Teacher of Language Arts

This book significantly changed the way I, as a teacher of Language Arts, think about what we do in secondary classrooms every day. Without ever being strident or laying blame, the authors methodically, movingly demonstrate that in so many ways, most middle schools and high schools are still far off the mark in how they teach English. And yet, the answer is right there--all we have to do is listen to the kids.Sure, it's easy for us to listen to the good readers, the ones who zipped through "Lord of the Rings" in 5th grade, who devour books. But when do we really listen and respond to the needs of those kids--particularly, as the authors point out, boys--who never read, who say they hate to read?The authors studied, and carried on extensive dialogues, with 49 boys in grades 7-12. What they found will shock and dismay some readers. To others, it will come as no surprise. Still others may see it as a call to action: Increasingly, many children--and boys in particular--fail to make any significant connection with what goes on in the language arts classroom. Even passionate teachers may be of little help, so long as they insist on imposing the conventional canon of "great literature" on all students. What's more, students who resist traditional reading are by no means necessarily illiterate. Many are highly competent readers of computer manuals, sports magazines, graphic novels and internet communications--to name just a few. Many are passionate about these alternative literary activities. But they find no reinforcement for them in school; often, it is quite the opposite.The authors argue that we must reach students first through the literate activities they already know and value, and tap into these interests, these sometimes unconventional literacies, as ways to engage them in meaningful, real activities. Then, if all goes well, they will begin to seek out wonder and meaning in ways that go deeper than the surface, and the door may open, for some, on that world of symbolic, philosophical, emotional meaning that is so valued by teachers and other lifelong readers.