The classic, indispensable guide for teachers, parents, and community organizers concerned with educating working-class children, Literacy with an Attitude dares to define literacy as a powerful right of citizenship. Patrick J. Finn persuasively debunks the time-honored paradigm for teaching poor and working class students. Our job, he argues, is not to help such students to become middle class and live middle class lives most don t want it. Education rather should focus on a powerful literacy a literacy with an attitude that enables working-class and poor students to be better able to understand, demand, and protect their civil, political, and social rights. This tenth anniversary, second edition features seven new chapters, a new appendix, and a revised and updated original text. Praise for the first edition Finn s writing is so personal, passionate, urgent, and he was speaking, not writing, it seemed, directly to me I strongly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about the failure of schools to educate all our citizens into a powerful democratic discourse. John M. Watkins, Anthropology and Education Quarterly Finn s approach is creative and effective [The book] is very important and deserves to be read by teachers by parents, and by concerned citizens. LACMF, Literacy Across the Curriculumedia Focus "This book makes the reader think. It presents a clear account of the history of literacy which on the surface is familiar; however, the author's ability to define, compare, and contrast empowering education/powerful literacy reframes issues and challenges all complacency. His argument for teaching literacy with an attitude is compelling. It demands evaluation of the status quo and commitment to rethinking schools, literacy definitions, and instructional procedures for children as well as training for preservice and inservice teachers. It suggests productive areas of research that could contribute further understanding of the issues. And, it makes a reader think: What if?" -- Mary Anne Doyle, University of Connecticut