Literacy in American Lives by Deborah Brandt

Literacy in American Lives by Deborah Brandt explores how learning learning has changed over the years and how the rising expectations have changed during this process. Brandt explores the  literacy practices through  Americans living in rural Wisconsin. She does this by looking at the differences of Martha Day and Barbra Hunt, two women born into the same socio-economical background however in different time periods. Brandt in her book  examines the importance of literacy practices in  a large scale and local economic change, she does this while looking at its influenced by history i.e Literacy Skills= Resource for business =$$$$.  Brandt introduces the word of  "sponsors of literacy," these are people who are agents "who enable, support, teach, and model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold, literacy—and gain advantage by it in some way" (19). This can be a person, organization, or network that helps someone get their education in some way. She acknowledges that the idea of sponsorship is a changing one and that their are more numbers of agents of sponsors for teaching and learning literacy.

After reading Brandt's book It gave me a more enriched outlook on the current educational field and it gave me a deeper appreciation on how economic concern drives the growth of our field. 

This book also made me question the job security of a teacher of literacy in future economic fluctuations.