Willis (University of Illinois-Urbana-Champaign) issues a call to action for new and experienced scholars in language and literacy to re- examine their biases and assumptions and adopt a more critically conscious stance in their work. Balancing a historical grounding with more contemporary research, the book looks at how critical theories are manifested in language and literacy research. The authors examine overlooked roots of present-day critical thinking and predict how branches of theorizing may emerge, evolve, and transform research in a democratic society. Three chapters are devoted to a review and critique of critical language and literacy research from 2000 to 2005. The book also addressed structural, disciplinary, hegemonic, and interpersonal domains of power. This is the fifth book in the National Conference on Research in Language and Literacy (NCRLL) collection of books published by Teachers College Press. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)