Tracy Swinton Bailey’s new novel Forever Free: A True Story of Hope in the Fight for Child Literacy details a woman’s lifelong work of trying to improve opportunities for all children.

Most people recognize flaws within the educational system, and socioeconomic disadvantages that couple what’s commonly known as systemic racism are what Bailey currently aims to tackle. She founded a successful new nonprofit called Freedom Readers over a decade ago that addresses these problems. Especially for a grassroots organization, however, “a reimagining of what education can and should be” is a tall order (72). Bailey describes how Freedom Readers utilizes a one-to-one tutor-child ratio to provide personalized, comprehensive curriculums. This is different from traditional classroom settings where “leaders believe in the harsh and punitive treatment of those who struggle” (127-128). Whereas the usual response to an underperforming student is to dish out bad grades and often unhelpful study suggestions, Bailey supports a system where those individuals are instead encouraged to improve and given direct methods as to how. Ideally, each child involved in Freedom Readers begins to foster a love of reading, literacy often being the watershed between focused or lost potential in the modern world.

In other words, Bailey is ambitious, radical, and justified in her beliefs. Freedom Readers maintains every person’s dignity and spirit. What I will admit is that some slice of life messages can be omitted for future reference; at least a chapter is spent on Isaac J. Bailey, her husband, and a recollection of their budding romance. Some might experience vicarious fuzzies, but the mention is mostly irrelevant to the fight for child literacy. Lots of religious mentions could be more germane as well and might detach the average non-Christian reader.

Regardless of those digressions, Bailey’s style is sophisticated and insightful, opening eyes to a pressing topic that deserves more attention. The memoir will be best received by a young adult and adult audience, or educators and those who simply want to learn. I would label it as a loosely high school and above work of nonfiction and am glad to have read it aside from the occasional drift from an otherwise tight thesis.

Tracy Swinton Bailey explores America’s injustices with a constant sense of hope. She is qualified and competent, and her passion for her work is tangible in every sentence; Forever Free is the battle cry of all who believe in the importance of literacy.