Book reviews

Books reviewed: Pressley, M., Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching Vincent, D., The rise of mass literacy: reading and writing in Modern Europe Bishop, D.V.M. and Leonard, L.B., Speech and language impairments in children Funnell, Elaine (Ed.), Case studies in the neuropsychology of reading     

Book reviews

POPULAR STORIES AND PROMISED LANDS: FAN CULTURES AND SYMBOLIC PILGRIMAGES. By Roger C. Aden. Tuscaloosa, AL: U. of Alabama P., 1999; viii + 290. $34.95.

COMMUNICATIVE PRAGMATISM AND OTHER PHILOSOPHICAL ESSAYS ON LANGUAGE. By Nicholas Rescher. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. ix + 210. $65.00 hardback $23.95 paperback.

FROM PLYMOUTH TO PARLIAMENT: A RHETORICAL HISTORY OF NANCY ASTOR'S 1919 CAMPAIGN. By Karen J. Musolf. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999; pp. xi + 244. $45.00.     

Book reviews

Schwandt, Thomas A. (1997) Qualitative Inquiry: a Dictionary of Terms. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. 183 pp. $ 23.95 ISBN‐0–7619–0254–6

VanTassel‐Baska, J. (1998). Excellence in Educating Gifted and Talented Learners, Third Edition with chapters by Camilla Persson Benbow, John F. Feldhusen, Kenneth Seeley, and Linda Kreger Silverman. Denver, CO: Love Publishing Co. (532pp., $58.00 hb, ISBN 0–89108–255–7.

Moore, D.P. and Buttner, E.H. (1997). Women entrepreneurs: Moving beyond the glass ceiling. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc. (262 pp., $19.95 pb, ISBN 0–7619–0464–6)

Tomlinson, C. A. (1999). The differentiated classroom: Responding to the needs of all learners. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (132 pp., $21.95 pb, ISBN 0–87120–342–1).     

Book reviews

Researchers have largely ignored students’ creative works as a source of insight into their everyday experiences. This study is a hermeneutic analysis of 23 works written by talented writers on the topic of academics. The findings include depictions of students as detached from their teachers and their curriculum. In these stories and poems, moments of intellectual engagement occur unexpectedly when students connect course content with personal introspection. Competition serves to heighten the conflict in the stories and develop resentment among capable students. Geekdom is depicted as both a strength and a social liability. Practical implications for teachers and school counselors are discussed.