Book Offers Historical Analysis of "Reading Wars" While Arguing That Its Narrow Focus Has Stunted Literacy Research and Practice

Author offers a new framework that envisions literacy development as essential for democracy, global citizenship, and the human condition

ELMIRA HEIGHTS, N.Y., Jan. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Deborah Duncan Owens, a literacy professor and scholar who has spent three decades in education, is challenging decades of ideological conflict in a new book. She offers a new concept for literacy instruction, arguing that the persistent "reading wars" – characterized by a narrow focus on phonics – are detrimental to developing truly literate citizens.