In 1987, the Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW)* initiated a new and exciting project. The goal of the project was to publish a resource guide to good Canadian literacy materials for women. The first of its kind, the guide would reflect a commitment to both a literacy practice that puts students first, and a feminist perspective, which recognizes the need for materials that deal with the particular realities of women's lives.

The resulting guide, TELLING OUR STORIES OUR WAY, features reviews of selected books and pamphlets of special interest to women learning to read. The kinds of materials chosen for review include: a book about women's health; a photostory about immigrant women who work in a garment factory; a collection of dub poetry about the experiences of immigrant women in Canada; a Black woman's reminiscences about her grandmother's life in Nova Scotia; and, a collection of stories from the Coast Salish Native community in British Columbia. The guide contains reviews of 49 books or pamphlets all of which were published in Canada. They were chosen by a project working group of volunteer literacy workers and staff from CCLOW. The reviews were written by groups of students, by literacy workers, or by literacy workers and students together.

In the table of contents, the publications reviewed are listed alphabetically by title with page numbers. Opposite each review is a sample page from the publication. At the back of the guide are guidelines that can be used to assess good literacy materials for women. Also at the back are brief biographies of the volunteer members of the working group.

WHY THE GUIDE WAS DEVELOPED

Studies about how people learn to read show that it is easier for students if the materials they are reading relate to their own experiences. One of the many barriers facing women who wish to improve their reading skills, is the lack of materials that are relevant to their lives. During the past few years, women who have been working with women in literacy programs have become more and more aware of the need for non-sexist materials that reflect women's experiences. In searching for non-sexist materials that are relevant to women's lives, literacy workers found that there is very little information available on the materials that exist. The aim of the project working group was to find and review the best Canadian materials for women that are now available (or should be made available through reprints or wider distribution) and to bring this information together in one book.

* CCLOW is a national, voluntary, feminist organization that advocates equality between women and men by promoting equal participation in our educational, political, economic, legal, social and cultural systems.