To Read or Not to Read: Answers to All Your Questions about Dyslexia

Former Life magazine journalist Hurford has written the best comprehensive book about dyslexia intended for a general audience. Told with consummate respect for the intelligence and perseverance of dyslexics, Hurford's work could and should change lives. She begins with the comforting reality that many successful, important people share this condition, among them Einstein, Churchill, Yeats and Nelson Rockefeller. Her careful definition accurately reflects the term's vague etymology (dys, difficult, and lexis, word): ""difficulty reading words, writing words, remembering words, and sometimes even pronouncing words."" Hurford helps explain how this often misunderstood condition that affects 15% of Americans can show itself in widely varying ways in dyslexics' reading, writing and day-to-day life. ""According to the Dyslexia Association,"" Hurford reports, ""dyslexia is `neurologically based'"" and ""the brain... needs to be trained"" in order for the dyslexic to effectively function in the realm of the printed word. Now a learning specialist with a private practice in New York City, the author delineates the school's role in helping dyslexics. Her explanations about diagnosis, remediation and available services will be of enormous help to parents, students, and dyslexics of all ages as they work with this condition. Hurford draws on both clear interpretations of current research and on dozens of case studies that prove that the frustration of dyslexia can be greatly reduced. This is concise, comprehensive and informative reading. (Aug.)