Beyond reading and writing, literacy encompasses a whole host of skills that allow us to develop our potential and succeed in society, including critical thinking, self-discipline, curiosity, leadership, and motivation. Helping all our nation's young people, especially those who live in low-income communities, improve their literacy skills should be a top priority. Numerous programs are operating around the country to address the issue of underperformance in light of the shortcomings of our public school system. Through one such program, Freedom Readers, Tracy Swinton Bailey has honed an approach to strengthening communities and the prospects of all children that invites those with the benefit of a good education into low-income areas for the purpose of growing literacy skills together. In Forever Free, she outlines clearly and persuasively how it has worked in the rural South, and how it can work across the US.