Sentenced to read : literature versus prison

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For me the belief that technology should be fully integrated into education is not at odds with my belief in the power of books and stories. Having said this I continually feel under pressure to argue the case for the medium of the dead tree so I was delighted to find this article in The Guardian about the transformative power of literature and reading groups .

Changing Lives Through Literature (CLTL) is an American programme which began in Massachusetts in 1991 advocating reading groups as an alternative to custodial sentences. Based on the Socratic dictum that the unexamined life is not worth living the programme has shown considerably decreased recidivism rates from 45% to less than 20%.

Findings from the programme on how literature transforms people:

• By allowing people to investigate and explore aspects of themselves
• By encouraging the listening to and appreciation of other perspectives
• By increasing the individual's ability to communicate ideas and feelings
• By facilitating dialogue where all contributions are equally valid
• By the realisation that situations and feelings that are being experienced have been encountered by others

"I believe that stories can save us from the chaos of our lives, perhaps from

death itself. When we experience the unfolding of a good story, we experience

the unfolding of our own selves. We journey through language and discover our identity reflected there as if in a mirror. I am convinced that through these discussions we have all learned to carry stories and characters around with

us as we create that mythic place that brings us together. We have learned

in the process that our lives are stories that we can create and shape. "

Robert P Waxler

Powerful stuff that could be transferred to schools. We need to collect evidence about how engaging with carefully selected texts through reading groups can help children experiencing problems.