Literacy Matters! Select Books on Adults & Reading
Unread: A Memoir of Learning (and Loving) to Read
Oliver James, who shared his dedication to learning to read as an adult on TikTok, has written a memoir. It was published in February and is available at AACPL. Mr. James writes about the shame, fear, and isolation he felt when he was a young man unable to read. He describes his many coping mechanisms and how gaining strength in reading opened whole new worlds to him. A list of books he enjoyed on his reading journey is included.
Spell Freedom
Septima Clark was a schoolteacher in segregated South Carolina when she teamed up with three other social justice activists to launch the Citizenship School Project. It began in 1956 with a secret classroom in the back of a grocery store on rural Johns Island, SC. Black adults who had been denied education and lacked basic literacy skills learned to read, write, prepare to vote, and more. Spell Freedom tells their determined story — available at AACPL.
