This book describes literacy from a broader perspective other than reading and writing skills only. It mentions a large amount of multidisciplinary studies over the past decade, which put literacy in much larger social practices. The argument of this book is that within any given moment when using language, we must speak or write the right things in the appropriate way, while playing the correct social role, maintaining the correct values, attitudes and beliefs. What matters isn't language or grammar, but a mixture of speech, belief systems, written word and so on. The book also covers global literacy trends for kids, and emerging trends in social linguistics and literacies.