Reading Paulo Freire: His Life and Work (Teacher Empowerment Sch

by Moacir Gadotti, John Milton (Translator)

"This book deals with one of the most important educators of this century. It presents the work and life of Paulo Freire in a simple, straightforward fashion. By placing the life and work of Freire in the context of the history of ideas, the book introduces the reader to the complexities of Freire's pedagogical and epistemological position. The book is accessible, and will be welcome particularly by those who may have difficulties reading Paulo Freire. It does what it makes Paulo Freire available to a wide readership. Likewise, the book discusses a pedagogical approach that is still evolving and has tremendous vibrancy for contemporary research and teaching. Professor Gadotti has captured this dimension in Freire's work better than many other scholars I have read."-- Carlos Alberto Torres, UCLA

"The topic is profoundly significant. Educators and intellectuals cannot talk today of literacy and education without reading this piece. The book is important in itself as well as central to educational and literacy studies. This is an important contribution--meaningfully thorough and intellectually stimulating. What I like most about the book is its ability to capture the originality and simultaneous growth in complexity of Paulo Freire's life and work." -- Herman S. Garcia, New Mexico State University

This book was written as Paulo Freire himself would have done it, using a method of learning through victories and defeats in the same way one learns in life. The author follows a chronological line in which life and work are naturally mixed. In many cases, he lets Paulo Freire's work speak for itself.

Genres: Nonfiction, Education

228 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

Pedagogue and pohilosopher.

Reviews

[Ben Myers-petro · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't really know what it was about this book that turned me off. It could have been Moacir Gadotti's organization of the book; it felt very confused at times. It also appeared to be a book, and I'm giving the benefit of the doubt here, that is meant to explain and build upon ideas that we are supposed to be already familiar with. That is, certain phrases and ideologies are used with little to no explanation as to what they mean. It also could have been that I was expecting a different sort of book entirely so when I got this one, I was caught off guard. I'm trying to avoid this thought, but it also could have been that I just didn't really like Freire's theories or the way in which he writes them. I'm just not sure. It could have been all, some or none of these things all I know is I was not enjoying the book at all.

[Doni]

A useful orientation to Paulo Freire and his work, though it doesn't go into any depth. Also because of its publication date, it doesn't include some of his later works.