Gerofsky teaches at an alternative school in Vancouver, B.C. and at Simon Fraser U., and has degrees in both mathematics education and applied linguistics. She considers mathematical word problems as a genre , using analytical theory from linguistics, literary criticism, and mathematics education to understand what exactly word problems are , what and who they are for, the origins of the genre, and how it has changed over the course of its history. She also examines ways in which an exploration of genre in mathematics teaching and learning can be a source of innovation and renewal in mathematics education practice. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)