Reading for Their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males

by Michael Smith

"Because African American adolescent males and face their own challenges, they must identify texts that mark their times and their lives. If we create opportunities for this to happen, they will not only begin to trust the texts, they will begin to trust us, too. Then maybe, we'll hear one of them say, Education is on our side,' or, 'I used to keep it gutter, but now I am all good.' This is my hope." -Alfred Tatum No reading strategy, no literacy program, no remediation will close the achievement gap for adolescent African American males. These efforts will continue to fail our students, says Alfred Tatum , until reading instruction is anchored in meaningful texts that build academic and personal resiliency inside and outside school. In Reading for Their Life Tatum takes a bold step beyond Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males . He shows how teachers can encourage adolescent African American males to connect with reading by defining who they are through textual lineages -texts with significance, carefully chosen for instruction because they are useful to young black males and because they matter . With works ranging from Up from Slavery and Sounder to the contemporary Handbook for Boys, Tatum helps "African American males are not engaged in a great conspiracy to fail themselves," writes Tatum. "They continue to underperform in school as they wait for educators to get it right. " Join Alfred Tatum , use Reading for Their Life, and strive for "a way to squeeze enabling texts for every ounce of possibility they contain for advancing the literacy development of African American adolescent males." Get more information on the state of education for African American males, read

Genres: Teaching, Education, Nonfiction, African American

172 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There are more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am completely on board with Tatum's idea of carefully considering a text before you use it in class; he pushes instructors to use enabling texts, texts that build resiliency in African American male students, which is something I subconsciously tried to do but will now be much more intentional about. While I value his theory, I wish his book had more examples of how to apply this in the classroom. Still, I'm happy I read it for the simple reminder of the responsibility that teachers have in not only teaching skills but in encouraging confidence, resilience, and passion for issues in our students, and using texts as vehicles for achieving that.

[Elisha Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Premise: reconnect African American males to texts that are useful and matter to them

Key words: useful & matter

Tatum is an educator in Chicago who is deeply connected to the realities of young black men in the inner city. I love that he is fighting for their education as a critical component of their survival and thriving. He’s deeply acquainted with their suffering and endeavors to get young black men engaged in their education by provoking them with texts that are relevant to their struggle. Honestly, I wish I could sit under the tutelage of a man like him to learn. It’s a practical book- has inspiring parts but honestly is a toolbox for teachers and educators who want to engage young black men.

Misconceptions to destroy
1. Get rid of idea that African American boys do not want to be educated
2. Get rid of idea that African American boys should accept any form of instruction
3. Get rid of idea that adolescents need saviors before they need quality education

Parts of the book
• Ch 1-3
• Focus on the urgency of building a textual lineage

• Ch 4-8
• Focus on texts and how they can be used to pay attention to various contexts- international/national, community, economic, social, etc.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a PD book, this was readable and engaging.

[Laura Smith Ramsborg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought-provoking and some good ideas for teaching literacy in a relevant way to Black boys. This one is a keeper for my shelves. I wish I had seen the author speak at LiRN.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such an important book, and Tatum's discussion of textual lineage may be my final exam question...what books matter to you, have significance to you as a reader, shaped your life and your reading, helped you think about your life, were the roadmaps for 'being, doing, thinking, acting?' I don't understand his graphic organizers of this concept, but I love the idea of asking students -- all students -- about those books that make a difference.

I would love to see Tatum in the classroom. You can tell from his writing that he's fierce and demanding and supportive. You can see he means it when he says, 'It's not about their literacy developmen; it's about their lives.' I loved reading his creative short stories and poems as well. He truly is a teacher who walks the walk. I woul challenge teachers to find those texts that matter to all students, African American males included.

"Let no one or nothing make you a poor teacher" needs to be engraved in the walls of every teachers lounge so we can remember what's at stake.

He challenges us to do our best work, and to expect our students' best work as well.

[Briana Cleveland · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text's primary focus is on shifting our philosophical approach to educating African American adolescent males. Although Tatum shares a few instructional practice ideas, there's not much meat here as far as designing curriculum. I believe the lack of practice ideas is intentional, as one of Tatum's over-arching arguments is that we do not need to teach African American adolescent males any differently than we teach any other students. Instead of practice, Tatum shares his thinking on how and why we are underserving African American adolescent males and ideas for how we can use powerful texts to engage and enable African American adolescent males.

I would say this text is incredibly important for every educator to read, however, you need to know upfront that what you'll find in this text is not curriculum ideas but seeds for revolutionizing your thinking about students.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tatum is really on to something with his institutes for African American adolescent boys and his ideas about enabling texts and creating textual lingeages. I like the fact that this book exists, that researchers are studying and taking action steps for/with a demographic that, in my opinion & through my experiences, is in the most precarious socioeconomic/educational situation.

At times this book felt like a personal platform for Tatum to share his own experiences and revelations (read: poetry!), and that's not an entirely bad thing. Education professionals would do well to pick it up, however, and use it to explore their own approaches and assumptions about African American adolescent males.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

"It is not our skin color that interrupts effective literacy instruction, but how we view the role of literacy instruction in schools."

"Reading the sonnet was less about Shakespeare's survival than it was about his [the student's] own."

"We need to achieve a balance between strategies that enable and texts that engage."

"African American males are not engaged in a great conspiracy to fail themselves."

"Four Platforms for Progress: Defining self; Becoming resilient; Engaging others; Building capacity"

Tatum has the literacy framework as well as the strategies to help any willing educator support any learner, but especially and most specifically African American adolescent males, build "textual lineages" that bring them identity, resilience, relationships, and agency.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a recommended text for teachers for unit 2 of our 6th grade curriculum. Even though it was recommended, the district wasn't ready to pay for it so I bought it off Amazon.

The author made me feel both dumb and empowered. He approaches reading differently than I do with different strategies. He's obviously read more African-American literature than I. For years, though, I've felt like there was more that I could do. I think he gave me some of the tools I need.

I've been left with lots to ponder. I also have a long list of books to order for my classroom and to read for my own edification.

[Aaron Gerber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book! As much as this book focuses on African-American, adolescent males and literacy, I believe that the book's implications extend beyond this small group of students. All teachers should be aware of how their particular practices may hinder, benefit, or not work for certain groups of students. After reading this book, I now know that for most African-American, adolescent males struggling to study literacy, their education needs to be completely rethought.

[Bill Littell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well-researched piece that shows how teachers can help all students (although this work is focused exclusively on African American adolescent males)by introducing them to the concept of Textual Lineage.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not just about instruction it's also about culture.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because I felt like this read way more like a dissertation than a how-to for teachers.