Toward a New Understanding of Literacy

Though we live in a literate society, close to 60 million native born Americans are unable to cope with the routine paperwork of daily life. This collection of essays draws on the expertise of scholars in diverse disciplines to extend the traditional dimensions of literacy research and application. In discussing what constitutes literacy and its importance to the individual and to society,the essays provide a fresh look at how written language affects the ways we think and shape our world.