Illiteracy is expanding worldwide, despite sophisticated teaching methods, heightened awareness of the importance of literacy, and the spread of computers and Internet usage. The population of nonreaders includes adults who cannot decipher instructions, rent agreements, contracts, the warnings on medications, or even the simple books their children bring home from school. Proper instruction can not only help children still in school, but it can also help the school dropouts and adults who need and want help in breaking the barriers to literacy. The methods described in Teach Anyone to Read: the No-Nonsense Guide have been used successfully for more than five decades by thousands of instructors, working with many thousands of students. The instructors have included both experienced and novice teachers and other school personnel, persons in the helping professions, and dedicated volunteers.

Dr. Lillie Pope is a pioneer and leader in the field of learning disabilities, the teaching of reading, and the prevention and remediation of learning problems. Dr. Pope, Diplomate in School Psychology, was Founding Director of the Learning Center at Coney Island Hospital in Brooklyn, New York. She has served as a consultant to educational and mental health agencies, and as Adjunct Professor at New York University and Brooklyn College. She has worked closely with schools, guiding teachers, paraprofessionals, volunteers, and parents in helping students of all ages become readers. She has lectured widely, published numerous books and papers, developed tests, and produced several films to guide teachers and tutors. As Educational Director and Vice-President of the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation since 1983, she has facilitated hundreds of programs that encourage literacy, creativity, and joy in learning in schools and public libraries in the 50 states.