Tongue-Tied - Abridged by Otto Santa Ana (Paperback)

About the Book

Tongue-Tied is an anthology that gives voice to millions of people who, on a daily basis, are denied the opportunity to speak in their own language. First-person accounts by Amy Tan, Sherman Alexie, bell hooks, Richard Rodriguez, Maxine Hong Kingston and many other authors open windows onto the lives of linguistic minority students and their experience in coping in school and beyond. Selections from these writers are presented along accessible, abridged scholarly articles that assess the impact of language policies on the experiences and life opportunities of minority-language students. Vivid and unforgettable, the readings in Tongue-Tied are ideal for teaching and learning about American education and for spurring informed debate about the many factors that affect students and their lives.

Book Synopsis

Tongue-Tied is an anthology that gives voice to millions of people who, on a daily basis, are denied the opportunity to speak in their own language.

First-person accounts by Amy Tan, Sherman Alexie, bell hooks, Richard Rodriguez, Maxine Hong Kingston, and many other authors open windows into the lives of linguistic minority students and their experience in coping in school and beyond. Selections from these writers are presented along with accessible, abridged scholarly articles that assess the impact of language policies on the experiences and life opportunities of minority-language students. Vivid and unforgettable, the readings in Tongue-Tied are ideal for teaching and learning about American education and for spurring informed debate about the many factors that affect students and their lives.

Review Quotes

"Tongue-Tied is indeed a powerful metaphor for the impact on students of deficit ideologies related to language differences, one that every educator needs to consider. Santa Ana's compilation makes an important contribution to the discussion about diversity and education." --Donna Christian, Center for Applied Linguistics

"The readings are ideal for learning about U.S. education and for spurring informed debate about the many factors that affect students and their lives." --Library Journal

"This volume successfully addresses students, parents, and teachers of language minority students. Tongue Tied voices a compelling demand for the linguistic rights of all language minority children in U.S. schools. Highly recommended." --Choice Reviews

"An entertaining and enlightening book." --Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy

"This is a timely book. The readings in this anthology are ideal for learning about American education and for spurring informed debate about the many factors that affect minority-language students and their lives." --Education Digest

"At last a collection that provides insight into how those who are targeted by language policies in education are affected. For policy makers, practitioners, parents, and citizens who will be expected to vote on bilingual education, this book will be a tremendous asset." --Pedro A. Noguera Ph.D, distinguished professor of education UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies

"Tongue-Tied opens a window onto the lives of multilingual and multicultural children in the nation's public schools." --Aztlan: A Journal Of Chicano Studies

About the Author

Otto Santa Ana, associate professor and founding member of the Cesar Chavez Center for Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCLA, is the author of the award-winning book Brown Tide Rising: Metaphors of Latinos in Contemporary American Public Discourse.