by Deborah Barndt, Ferne Cristall and Dian Marino

The main part of this book is made up of two photo stories. There are also sections on how the photo stories were made, ideas for using them and a couple of essays. The photo stories appealed to me because of their simplicity and the attractive photographs. However, the students in my class thought that there was too little reading and that so many pictures were a "waste of paper."

The two photostories are both about immigrant women, new to Canada, learning to become independent in large cities. Gloria's story tells about her problems using public transportation for the first time by herself. Aurora's story tells about going for a job interview.

Students in my class, all women, felt a lot of sympathy for the woman in one story but surprisingly, had little sympathy for the other woman who was nearly paralysed with fear. The two stories are the most useful parts of the book. They would be good for beginning second language students and best in one-to-one situations, small groups, or for individual reading. Literacy students would likely relate to the situations of getting lost and going for a job interview, but would be unfamiliar with the difficulties of learning a second language.

The other two sections of the book would be of use to instructors, tutors, or group leaders, but would be beyond the capabilities of, and of little interest to, beginning readers.

A review by Erica Bresee, B.C.