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Tatum addresses the power of writing to connect young people with the deeper meaning in their own lives as they put their voices on record, exploring, in particular, writing as a tool to navigate lives in “communities of turmoil” and build positive relationships. Additionally, he explores the power of writing to help students construct meaning as readers as they explore the enabling literary works of their textual lineages. The book also addresses the practical implications of supporting students as writers and, to that end, targets teachers as writers!

Alfred W. Tatum is an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He began his career as an English/Language Arts eighth-grade teacher, later becoming a reading specialist. Currently, he serves on the National Advisory Reading Committee of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. He provides professional development support to schools across the nation interested in addressing the literacy needs of diverse students, particularly African-American adolescent males. He is the author of the Scholastic literacy program ID voice: vision: identity and several books, including the NCTE James N. Britton Award–winning Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males and Reading for Their Life: (Re)Building the Textual Lineages of African American Adolescent Males. Tatum’s research centers on the literacy development of African-American adolescent males and teacher professional development in urban middle and high schools.