T he National Writing Commission (see the annotation of their report below) refers to writing as the “Neglected ‘R’” and calls for a writing revolution to help students succeed in school, college, and life (p. 3). Along these lines, the National Writing Project encourages parents, teachers, and students to write together to learn more about writing and about each other. The National Writing Project (NWP) has made great strides in bringing attention to the importance of writing instruction in elementary classrooms. Members of this group have also championed the idea of learning to write as a process in which technical instruction becomes embedded in a net- work of students and teachers working together to build on ideas and interests that, in turn, cre- ate relevant texts for authentic audiences (see Because Writing Matters below). Successful writ- ing instruction, then, involves the creation of community and connections to community. The following resources encourage elemen- tary literacy teachers to consider writing and community on two levels; first, successful writ- ing pedagogies develop support networks to nur- ture identities as writers. These support networks include other students, the teacher, the larger school community, and the community at large. Second, writing also affords teachers an opportu- nity to create stronger bonds between students and their communities and between schools and com- munities in general. This process of connecting writing to community can help break down bar- riers between schools, neighborhoods, and fami- lies, but it can also help students (in partnership with their parents and other community members) to become more active participants in shaping and re-shaping their communities. With these multi- ple definitions of writing and community in mind, I sought out professional resources (books, web- sites, and commissioned reports) that offer guid- ance to educators who are interested in creating Professional Book Reviews Language Arts ● Vol. 85 ● No. 4 ● March 2008 communities of writers and in facilitating connec- tions between writers and their communities. Creating Welcoming Schools: A Practical Guide to Home– School Partnerships with Diverse Families Written by JoBeth Allen Teachers College Press in conjunction with the International Reading Association, 2007, 180 pp., ISBN 978-0-8077-4789-6 JoBeth Allen’s book begins by breaking down a misconception about parent involvement in schools serving culturally diverse communities. Rather than blaming parents for a lack of participation as a sign of lack of concern, Allen places the onus on the school community. Schools either welcome or exclude parents, and the reasons that parents partic- ipate have more to do with the existence of struc- tural and cultural barriers than it does with any lack of regard for their children’s educational well- being. Allen’s book, then, addresses a larger topic than merely writing in communities; she is fore- most concerned about the strategies that effective schools undertake to forge powerful relationships with parents and communities that promote literacy and learning among children who have been histor- ically underserved by our school system. However, many of Allen’s practical sugges- tions involve literacy and writing. Of particular note is a chapter that Allen devotes to the activ- ity of writing cultural memoirs. Allen sets up the activity of writing cultural memoirs as an oppor- tunity for students to learn more about them- selves as members of dynamic and multifaceted cultures and communities; along with their par- ents and other elders, they become detectives who 322 Communities, Writers, and Their Connections Ernest Morrell Professional Book Reviews