Teaching to transgress Education as the practice of freedom

This book is an informally written, autobiographical polemic on teaching and alternative strategies to traditional forms of educational pedagogies. The author borrows heavily from the works of Paulo Friere and other critical/feminist collegiate scholars to suggest that traditional forms of teaching suppress liberatory movements, oppress people from different cultures and traditions, and continue a "white supremacist capitalist patriarchy." The author tells her experiences growing up in the South and attending predominately white educational institutions as apt examples of the problems that she (and people of difference) have had along the way to obtaining degrees and acceptance in the academy. It is a highly personal account of teaching from someone with educational experiences as a student, professor, and writer in several different institutions. The book is useful as a point of departure for a critique of our current modes of collegiate teaching and learning. Some will find the lack of footnoting and bibliography problematic; however, this should not negate the soundness of her overall critique and the subsequent solutions that she suggests. Recommended for educators who are either preparing others for future teaching careers or other professionals who are thinking seriously about pedagogical reform. L. B. Gallien; Wheaton College (IL)

Feminist writer and English professor hooks shares insights, strategies, and critical reflections on pedagogical practice. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.