RADICAL EQUATIONS: Math Literacy and Civil Rights
Robert P. Moses and Charles E. Cobb Jr. Beacon, $21 (240p) ISBN
0-8070-3126-7

"The ongoing struggle for citizenship and equality for minority people is
now linked to an issue of math and science literacy," argue Moses, an
educator and civil rights activist, and Cobb, a cofounder of the National
Association of Black Journalists. Moses's Algebra Project, which he
initiated in McComb County, Miss., in 1982, is not a traditional program of
school reform. It aims to nurture collaboration between parents, teachers
and students in order to teach middle-school kids algebra-a course that
Moses believes is a crucial stepping-stone to college level math and, thus,
lifelong economic opportunity. Drawing its inspiration from the civil rights
movement's organizing tactics, the first part of this book is devoted to
detailing how black Americans undid the white choke hold on Southern
politics. In part two, Moses shows how the same grassroots organizing can be
applied to make change in the classroom. He also explains why the project's
success rate is so much higher than that of traditional math programs.
Peppered with anecdotes and quotations from participants, this dense book is
surprisingly captivating. Moses's main argument should resonate with
concerned parents and community leaders as well as educators. An important
step forward in math pedagogy and a provocative field manual, this book is a
radical equation indeed. (Feb.)

Forecast: Moses's status as a legendary civil rights activist, a MacArthur
Award recipient and a dynamic voice in education should help garner an
enthusiastic reception for this book, particularly in cities like Boston and
Los Angeles, where he has established divisions of the Algebra Project and
where an author tour is planned.