Literacy

As a program based on the discussion of literature, it's only natural that many Changing Lives Through Literature concerns be based on the concept of literacy. For many criminal offenders, reading was a former source of failure, as was school. Yet here they are, sentenced to read. The ways in which we define literacy within the program is crucial, as is our national dialogue on literacy. The effects of reading itself are part of the magic of the program, but how do we include offenders who have poor reading skills or who are reluctant to try to read? Defining the role of the written word is one of our more interesting struggles, as you will find in the essays in this section.