Words Were All We Had: Becoming Biliterate Against the Odds

Language and Literacy

by Maria De La Luz Reyes (Editor), Celia Genishi (Series Editor), Donna E. Alvermann (Series Editor)

This engaging collection examines the personal narratives of a select group of well-respected educators who attained biliteracy at a young age in the era before bilingual education. Their autobiographical accounts celebrate and make visible a linguistic potential that has been largely ignored in schools and underscores the inextricable and emotional ties that Latinos have to Spanish. Teachers can glean important lessons about the individual potential of their Latino students from the lived experiences of successful Latinos whose life stories dispel the myth that Spanish is an obstacle to learning. These stories of tenacity and resilience offer hope for a new generation of bilingual learners who are too often forced to choose between English and their native language. Book

Genres: Education

192 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2011

Reviews

[Jessmccoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring stories of how native Spanish speakers became biliterate as children in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The writers share their personal stories, including the many ways their working class families supported them as they learned to read and write. As an aspiring bilingual educator, I found these stories very important, as they share a perspective we don't often hear. However I was frustrated to see how little has changed in the decades since the contributors attended school.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating perspective on growing up bilingual before there were bilingual schools and before it was accepted. Unfortunately, things have not changed much since these individuals were children. Some of their stories are so difficult to read.

[Barbara Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stories touch the heart! That is exactly what these narratives did to me. I am converted even more to the importance of bilingual education.

[Liz Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book to hold very close to your heart. I'm coming at it from an educator's perspective, and all the people in here work in education, but these stories sing to a much larger audience.
The premise of the book is that the many authors became bilingual and biliterate, against the odds. As Maria de la Luz Reyes points out though, this is not to say that bilingual education does not have a place. All the authors remember being chastised for using their home language-Spanish. It isn't easy to read these parts of the narratives, especially when the punishment for speaking their heart's tongue is severe and lacking in all compassion. While it is true that overt punishment isn't allowed in classrooms anymore, too many teachers still lack in compassion for students who are outside the hegemonic schooling norm. This book offers counternarratives in the critical race theory tradition. Maria de la Luz Reyes specifically draws on critical race theory in her analysis and it is always refreshing to have work framed through that lens.
It is also refreshing to read non-academic writing from a group of academics. There are some references, mostly in the introduction and other non-memoir sections, but what is critical is that the authors here are knowledge producers first and foremost. Their stories offer us rich portraits and landscapes relevant to their childhood, language use, schooling experience, people and forces that impacted their lives, and much more.
Highly recommended for everyone in education, and for those people seeking a deeper understanding of the role language plays in our lives.

[Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book tremendously. It inspired me to pass on my love for Spanish as a language and allowed me to better understand this love as part of my identity as an immigrant in an English speaking country.