Let's End Our Literacy Crisis: The Desperately Needed Idea Whose Time Has Come

By Bob C. Cleckler

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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1589824970
• ISBN13: 9781589824973
• Release Date: May 2009
• Publisher: American Book Publishing Group
• Length: 286 Pages

Customer Reviews

Let's End Our Literacy Crisis

I have spent the last 12 years as the Chairman of a Literacy Committee and have not found a more authorative reference than this one. Mr. Cleckler has made many outstanding observations and has done a great job in researching his subject. I highly recommend reading his book. Hal Shipley

A Strategy for Ending the Literacy Crisis in this Generation

Award winning author, Bob C. Cleckler, dedicated this edition of "Let's End Our Literacy Crisis" ...to the hundreds of millions of students around the world who tried - and failed. Part One discusses the impact of illiteracy on employment, crime, standard of living, consumer rights, citizen's rights, education, lifestyle choices, and health risks. Cleckler talks about the size of the problem and the reasons this is not acknowledged. He provides facts and figures on the monetary cost of illiteracy and its causes worldwide. In Part Two Cleckler offers a blueprint for a solution to our illiteracy, the logic, and how to implement the proposal. He challenges the reader to join in a proposal for a grass roots campaign concerned with putting into motion proactive steps to solve the literary crisis. Cleckler has invested 22 years in a program of phenomenal personal research. The book is filled with helpful charts, graphs, figures, and tables which re-enforce the narrative. He has also devoted over 100 pages to a number of comprehensive appendixes, bibliography, a full index, and other valuable tools such a list of pertinent websites. "Let's End Our Literacy Crisis" is made up of convincing evidence of the crisis we are facing worldwide with illiteracy. Cleckler's writing is clear, relevant and is a wake up call to educators, anyone in public office, and to all who are impacted directly and indirectly by this alarming crisis.

Let's End America's Dirty Little Secret: Widespread Functional Illiteracy

Functional illiterates suffer very serious physical, emotional, mental, medical, and financial problems. The most accurate studies of English functional illiteracy proved that the 48.7% of individual U.S. adults, in the two lowest of five literacy levels, earned significantly less than poverty level wages and 31.0% of their families were in poverty! We do not see this suffering because illiterates are very good at hiding, there are more than one employed adults in the family, and they get government and private help. In 2008, illiteracy costs everyone --- even good readers --- an average of $5186 per year. Students in over 98% of alphabetic languages except English become fluent readers in three months or less. Most U.S. adults who've learned to read English well required at least two years because every word in their reading vocabulary must be learned one at a time since there are NO invariable rules of spelling and there are 1,768 ways of spelling 40 sounds in English! Nothing done since 1755 has significantly improved English literacy. The solution: spell words the way they sound --- the way the rest of the world does!

A must-read if you care about society

This book, I have come to learn, is the first one to both present the alarming extent and consequences of illiteracy in the U.S. AND to propose a real solution to the problem. If the author had laid out only the problem, the reader would be left depressed. If Cleckler had given only the solution, the reader would wonder, "Why bother?" But the 2 together make a solid case. There's an abundance of documentation and detail, in places too much. Just skip over the heavier tables and graphs. Better too much detail than not enough. I don't agree with Cleckler about renaming the letters of the alphabet, or including 35 pages of sample text in NuEnglish when 5 pages would have been plenty. And that sample text showed inconsistent and sloppy use of NuEnglish, but that criticism is more of a quibble when considering the scope of his work. We need to roll up our shirt sleeves and start applying the solution!

A must read for everyone as it affects everyone!!!

As one who has been on a 30 year journey from illiterate to author, I was stunned by this book. Bob hits the nail on the head and it is an incredible read full of facts and solutions, which blow your mind to the problems of illiteracy and how it affects everyone. This is not just a problem for the U.S.A but any English speaking country and for those learning our language. It is a book you have to read from cover to cover and as you question, Bob gives you solution leaving you wondering why governments will not implement ideas that would benefit us all. Bob also reveals the feelings of those affected by illiteracy, things we would not dare confess, yet we should, if we are to get support and change to this epidemic. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, as it affects everyone. I would especially recommend this book as a must read to authors of any genre, as it will answer why there is a decrease in readers, which we can do something about. Hope this book gets on Oprah!!! And in the hands of those who have the power to implement change!!! Christine Jones author of the Mariard Volumes