Toppling Adult Illiteracy

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The Bridge to Literacy: No Child—or Adult—Left Behind

Kaplan Publishing

The Bridge to Literacy: No Child—or Adult—Left Behind

Kaplan Publishing

John Corcoran grew up in a middle class family, he went to college, got married, taught, and ran a small business. He's 70 years old now, but for the first five decades of his life, he kept hidden the fact that he couldn't read past a second grade level.

In this "Behind Closed Doors" conversation – devoted to subjects that are hard to talk about, the things we often keep hidden – Corcoran discusses his new book The Bridge to Literacy: No Child — or Adult — Left Behind. It is his part of his personal story and includes suggestions for combating illiteracy.

He tells Tell Me More host Michel Martin about the irony of teaching for 17 years. "Tteachers are supposed to be seekers of truth, yet I was a teacher and a liar. That was the most psychologically and spiritually damaging problem I ever faced," he wrote in the book.

He also discusses how illiteracy is at a crisis state in America.