Thanks to Steps Publishing and NetGalley for this free ebook ARC in return for my honest review.

A solid 4.5**** effort by Irene Daria which exposes the issues behind the decline in reading not only in the US, but also in Canada, Australia and the UK. it all started with some bizarre system called Whole Reading, and evolved into Balanced Literacy and none of it helped teach kids how to learn! The statistics tell the sad state of reading in the US. Luckily Daria took steps to help her son for from learning disabled to now becoming a top reader and coder who worked for Apple at age 17 and is now working on AI. The book is filled with hopeless academics, politicians, and educators who bought into a system that "taught" kids to read by guessing a word from a picture in the book. It also encouraged bizarre spelling such as accepting "uv" for the word "of", and "kt" for "car." A book everyone should read to put it mildly!!!

What an eye-opener! The author tells the true story of the extraordinary efforts of her whole family to provide her children with the vital building blocks of their education that they weren’t getting in school. The eye-opening item for me was that this immense disruption to family life was and is still happening nationwide. The writer explains a dangerous, widely embraced literacy program called Balanced Reading, which was used in early reading classrooms ( grades K-2) throughout New York City for years. She writes with the authority of a professional and the emotion and vulnerability of a parent; she convincingly demonstrates the role of parents over the last decades to combat the ineffective classroom reading instruction given their children with the systematic teaching of phonics needed for them to succeed at reading. Though my children have their elementary years far behind them, I could empathize with the situation and I eagerly awaited the outcome in this well organized and informative book.

This book is so important for parents and educators to read because too often, curriculum in schools are determined by the latest fads instead of what children actually need. Eric was a child who fell through the cracks because of this. He just plain wasn't taught to read. Too often, we as parents, entrust the care and education of our children to schools without thinking or asking about how and what our children are learning. We just think well, they will learn as I did. This isn't the case anymore - Common Core changed how math is taught and the Lucy Calkins' program taught how reading is taught. Too often, the curriculum went above the kids' heads and they didn't learn the skills they needed during those most important years - the K - elementary years. This book brings all of these issues to light and gives us some insight into Dr. Daria's struggle with getting her own child the help he needed.

A complimentary copy was provided in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

This is a book that EVERYONE needs to read. To quote from the blurb: "Although I Didn't Believe Him is about a disturbing topic, it is a joy to read." Yes, it is a very disturbing topic, and the title SAYS. IT. ALL.

There is an extreme amount of irony that in order to read this book, one must know how to read, and after reading this I am amazed that anyone has learned to read.

I barely started the book and I wanted to cry for poor little 5-year-old Eric. I just wanted to hug him! Specifically, the scene where Irene, the mother and author, is in Eric's classroom to observe. The kindergartners are sitting on a rug, all facing the teacher, eager to get started with reading. Eric, on the other hand, a normally outgoing rambunctious 5-year-old is "sitting at the back of the room, staring at the rug in total silence." The other kids (most of them) were reading out loud with the teacher, but Eric "looked out the window." Tell me that doesn't break your heart?

This is happening, and has happened, to millions of children across the country. I had no idea!

The whole time I read this I kept trying to remember how I was taught to read. To preface this, this book is detailing a flawed method of reading which has many names and created/developed across decades by many different people. It does not teach how to sound out words, the rules of reading, or phonics. The child is literally supposed to guess the words by looking at pictures. I know for a fact I did not learn to read that way, but I can't remember the specifics of how I was taught. Whether a blessing or not I don't remember much about school before 1st grade. I know I could read in 1st grade and have to assume before that because I could read well, meaning I don't ever remember struggling to read the board or class assignments, or had any problems writing (penmanship doesn't count, haha). What my level of reading was, I could not guess, but at a minimum I was on par with where I should have been in 1st grade.

Eric though, he could literally NOT READ! They didn't teach letters, what those letters sounds were, or how to figure it out. I won't go into detail about how they "taught" reading, just read the book and trust me, you will be angry and sad, and possibly ready to run for the school board even if you don't have school age children. The reason behind why this flawed method of teaching was in schools is beyond dumb and flawed into itself - poor readers were observed and some idiot thought it was a brilliant way to learn (looking at pictures!). Insert lots of swear words.

I told my mom about this, and she couldn't believe it either, and before I ever uttered the word phonics, she said, "they aren't teaching phonics," and my mouth fell open. How did she know that?! Mother's intuition I guess because when I asked her, she basically said, that's the only way someone can be taught not to read.

It's been 18 years since Eric was in 5th grade and Irene began her journey to teach him to read. Thankfully, Eric grew to be an excellent reader, all because of his mother. But that shouldn't be the case! School is supposed to teach! Not the parents. Irene does provide an epilogue, and we learn about Eric and his older brother Jamie, how they grew and succeeded. I won't spoil the ending but rest assured, they are doing great.

I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book to literally everyone because you will never take the ability to read for granted again because millions of children, and now adults, never learned to read because the schools failed them, the people put in charge of making school's curriculum failed them, and greedy politicians and others involved failed them because they wanted to grow their bank account instead of grow and nurture a child to a healthy adult. The statistics are in the book, and I don't remember them, but the inability to read has caused too many people to turn down the wrong path in life and wind up in jail or otherwise not a productive member of society.

Once you know, you can never go back. I discovered this book through NetGalley. I randomly look through the genres to see if anything looks interesting and the title of this book grabbed me right away. I requested the book, I am so thankful it was approved, I am going to tell everyone I know about it, and I already put in a request at my library so they can add this to the catalog. I hope they do. I also hope this book comes out in audio someday because I would like to "read" this over and over and an audiobook means I can listen while doing chores around the house. I was glued to this book and could literally do nothing else. I never wanted to put it down, you'd think this was a popular culture book, but it's not (currently). It should be made into a movie/documentary.

All the freakin' stars!!! I may add more in the future - there is literally so much I left out.

Ebook received for free through NetGalley

I’m so glad I came across this book. My kids are late elementary-aged and can now read well but I remember Bob books with my first and am so glad my friend gifted the first set to us. I can see this book being amazing to read when you have a preschooler or even younger not for the stress of “what you need to do” but more so you have the knowledge of the signs and how to help if needed before your child enters school and it gets harder. The author also has some workbooks and videos listed on her website if you need additional help now: https://www.stepstoreading.com/

Review: I Didn’t Believe Him by Irene Daria

This is a great read for parents of young kids. It overviews Daria’s personal experience with her son and his experience *not* learning to read when his school used Balanced Literacy approach.

Daria overviews with parental emotion intertwined with detailed research into the issues with Balanced Literacy, the Reading Wars, and the importance of systematic phonics instruction.

As a teacher, this was an enlightening and difficult read. It gave me more detail into so much and reiterated my understanding of the science of reading. It also was full of her experience as a parent and allowed me, as a parent, to learn from her tutoring of her son to help my own child. I did find the narrative a bit repetitive at times, but the information was clear, well-supported, and personal (and perhaps the situation was just so circular - it was!)

I highly recommend those in education and those with a young reader (ages 4-8) at home to check out this book. My only wish is for a list of resources in an appendices or referenced books. That being said, Daria’s website is a plethora of information to support her experience and the teaching of phonics.

Five Stars! I am SO happy I read this book. I really believe this book is essential for parents. I listened to the podcast 'Sold A Story' and found myself obsessed with reading more and more about how children learn to read and what is going on in US public schools. This book is a first hand account of one NYC mom who went above and beyond for her children.

Irene Daria tells us the story of her young son, Eric, and how, despite her efforts to get him into the best school around, he cannot read. Eric knows this, but his teachers and parents do not. He is coming home with books and 'reading' them. How is this possible? Lucy Calkins and the trove of mislead 'experts' that have pedled this nonsense curriculum! Daria lifts the lid on what 'balanced literacy' really looks like. I truly loved this book and am so appreciate of Daria sharing her story. I was not privy to the influence of Bloomberg and other NYC politicians when it comes to curriculum. Even with the best teachers, if the curriculum is wrong, there's not much to do beyond paying tutors or pulling your kids entirely.

Our hard earned taxes should not be paying for schools that cannot teach children the basics of reading. Our children should not be subjected to 24/7 learning outside of 7+ school hours. The more I read and hear stories like this, the more horrified I am of the current state of education. This is a huge reason why I have decided to homeschool my children. I cannot put faith in the school system and our government to teach my children. Instead of hoping for the best and becoming an activist in my free time, I would much rather spend quality time with my children enjoying them.

I commend Daria for her efforts in being so involved in her children's schooling. She also talks about issues with her older son's constructivist math curriculum. Her recollection of helping her older son reminded me of trying to help my younger brother with math and being unable. The 14 year age gap meant that his schooling looked completely different than mine - and frankly made no sense to me due to the asinine adoption of these curriculums and methods that parents have never learned and cannot assist with.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more about schooling and how to advocate for your children. This was exactly what I wanted to read after seeking out follow-ups to 'Sold A Story.' There is also really interesting information related to how reading was taught in the early 1900s and even how Dick and Jane created generations of illiterate adults. It's absolutely mind-boggling to see how much influence these curriculums have had on our ability to be a literate nation. Daria also mentions books that were helpful in helping Eric to learn different phonics techniques, so this book has a wide-ranging wealth of knowledge in it!

Thank you to NetGalley, Steps Publishing, and the author Irene Daria for an ARC of this wonderful book.

I don’t usually give star ratings to nonfiction books, but this was nothing short of phenomenal. I was instantly hooked, and not only was the book insanely informative but also so well written that I was just as invested as I would be a fictional story. I would say this is a must-read for anyone invested in how children learn to read, and promoting strong reading skills from an early age. I especially appreciated the format the author employed, where she interspersed her recollection of her memories with facts she learned since the memory took place, clearly discernible with italics. This is a must read.

I could not stop reading Irene's story once I started! What a shocking, compelling, and frustrating story... and yet, it is a story that is, tragically, not unique. Unfortunately, I could see exactly where Eric's story was heading, having spent many, many years teaching early literacy in public schools. As Irene so thoroughly explained, this is a story that was repeated all over the city, and all over the country! Parents should not have to fight this hard to get their kids what they need, and yet they do all the time. I am so thankful that change is currently taking place in the teaching of reading, but change has been too slow for so may children. Thank you to Irene for sharing her story, and thank you for NetGalley for allowing me to read it.

This book and topic are both interesting and shocking in so many ways. From the reading programs taught in schools (especially after they have been shown to cause problems) to the issues the author had in recognising her son was crying out for help. There is so much that is sad and scary about what is shared within these pages. I’m so glad the author finally heard what her son was saying and loved the clever ways he used to get the message across; and thankful she began investigating and then teaching others herself. The lack of reading literacy among so many worldwide is an issue that continually needs to be addressed across all ages and solutions found that help. Being able to read is such a gift and joy and one which everyone should be taught in the best way possible including finding the method that works for them. I hope that parents and educators take time to read and think about the topics taught here and apply strategies to help children learn including parents working on this at home and educators doing whatever they can to assist in schools. Thanks for your work in this area Irene and to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this advanced copy