72 English Journal 107.2 (2017): 72–74 Developing Contemporary Literacies through Sports: A Guide for the English Classroom Edited by Alan Brown and Luke Rodesiler. NCTE, 2016. Jason Griffith Arizona State University Jason.J.Griffith@asu.edu The Chicago Cubs’ first World Series win in 108 years; Katie Ledecky’s dominance, Michael Phelps’s (supposed) swan song, and a double-dose of Simone (Biles and Manuel) at the Sum- mer Olympics in Rio; Lebron and the Cavs finally delivering a championship to Cleveland; and saying good-bye to boxing icon Muhammed Ali were just a few of 2016’s incredible sports headlines. Unfortunately, the past year in sports was also marred by dark moments such as Brock Turner’s sexual assault conviction, Curt Schilling’s transphobic social to celebrate and critically examine sports culture. Highlights: Diverse Voices and Great Lesson Plans The book is organized around seven major sections: “Facilitat- ing Literature Study,” “Provid- ing Alternatives to Traditional Novels,” “Teaching Writing,” “Engaging Students in Inquiry and Research,” “Fostering Media and Digital Literacies,” “Promot- ing Social Justice,” and “Devel- oping Out-of-School Literacies.” Each section is comprised of three parts: a brief bit of academic con- text from an English education scholar, four associated lesson plans, and a narrative wrap-up from a YA author. This structure brings together a diverse collec- tion of educators, academics, and authors. Sports are just a vessel for con- tributors to demonstrate how they’re doing the work of contem- porary English education: apply- ing critical theories, encouraging exploration of identity, engaging in media literacy. There are lots of separate citations of Ernest Morrell’s scholarship on a critical English education. Social justice is a huge thematic tie-in, as are New Literacies (podcasting, film and documentary, Web tools, etc.). media posts and subsequent firing from ESPN, and Ryan Lochte’s lies about being mugged at a Rio gas station. As Robert Lipsyte notes in his forward to Developing Contemporary Literacies through Sports: A Guide for the English Classroom, “We know that sports—besides being the greatest fun you can have with your body in public, legally— is the most pervasive currency of communication in the world” (xv). Whether teachers are inter- ested in the sports attached to these events or not, no doubt they heard updates, commentary, and reactions from students. We can’t escape sports culture, which is why the “critical sports literacy” lens that editors Alan Brown and Luke Rodesiler use to frame the book is so helpful. The editors write: [W]e seek to connect sports and critical literacy in a way that allows students—sports-minded or otherwise—to examine the pros and cons of an emphasis on sports in the world around them and that allows for shared conversations in which students can deconstruct—- and redesign (Janks 2014)—the meanings, values, and purposes of sports and sports culture. (xxiii) Such a framework leaves room for both sports fans and sports crit- ics (among teachers and students) Book Reviews Ken Lindblom, Column Editor Copyright © 2017 by the National Council of Teachers of English. All rights reserved.