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[edit] Introduction
This book is for everyday people. Do you want to understand why English words are often spelled so strangely? Then this is the right book for you. The facts and history of English sounds and spelling come into play in the early chapters (we try to keep it from getting dry, sometimes using moist towelettes). Current US policy on teaching kids to read is also in there (which we really have to dampen up--sometimes with a hose). The spelling system has a particularly nasty effect on people who tend toward dyslexia. A few of the middle chapters dig into how English smacks dyslexics down. So, you might ask, why hasn't someone changed the system? Late in the book we'll get a look at a pack of plans for reform, and why none of them has ever worked. Other countries where they don't speak English have done it. Why not us? Is it lack of initiative, competitiveness, politicians? Read on!
