"If language is the clothing of life, no child should be sent naked into the world." That's the quotation on the title page, but there's no attribution, so I don't know if the author borrowed it or made it up. It does explain the eye-catching title.

Long story short, Fader (according to his book) developed an innovative program of teaching kids to read by using newspapers and books that were relevant to them instead of boring old textbooks. He consulted at an inner-city school in Washington, DC, to bring the teachers there into the program. While he was there, he befriended (or was befriended by) a 'gang' of five bright but underachieving students. He exposed them to the world beyond their bleak, poverty-ridden slum, and they... inspired him to keep working for change in education, I guess.

I'm not sure all events happened exactly as described, and Fader sure is impressed with himself and his agenda (and underwhelmed by the mostly apathetic teachers he has to work with). On the other hand, I have no counter evidence to suggest that things didn't go that way, and at least he was out in the world trying to make things better. Making education more topical to learners is always a win in my book. The book WAS written in the early 1960s, so maybe the author sounds like a twit because that was how you were supposed to write at the time.

Pulled off the paperback exchange at the Pine Knoll Shores Public Library, because I'm always a sucker for anything relating to disadvantaged kids and education. Will release there or somewhere else for another reader to enjoy.