A provocative analysis of a hotly disputed, often politicized topic.How children are taught to read and how well they learn are perennially difficult issues in the United States. In this hard-hitting study, Gerald Coles argues that the very terms of today's arguments about learning are flawed. He urges Americans to worry about the best ways to teach reading-not a single "best way"-and about how politics, economics, and power in our unequal society affect our children's ability to read.