Children all over are returning to school or have already returned to school. I would like to share a new parenting book with you called I Didn’t Believe Him My son told me his school wasn’t teaching him to read. I told him to trust his teacher. This is the story of what happened next by Irene Daria, PH.D. (Review). I received a copy of in exchange for this review. Inside this post is my affiliate links. If you click on the links and make a purchase I will make a small percentage from the items you purchased.

As a parent with 2 children who had learning disabilities. As well as a husband who can’t read or write because he could play SOCCER the schools pushed him through I was able to relate to the Author in so many ways.

At times I Didn’t Believe Him made my heart break because I’ve worked in both schools and Day Cares and I’ve seen this happen to other students. It isn’t fair I wish this book had been out when both my children started school and then they might not have ended up being Homeschooled.

My niece’s daughter Payton is having trouble with reading and with Alex’s twins starting school this year I plan on sharing I Didn’t Believe Him with her so she can get the help she need with her children. If you haven’t had a chance to read this book I hope you do as soon as possible.

Please share the book with any teachers or school staff you know as well as Counselors so they can stop this problem from happening. I like how the Author has included guides and resources for us to use not only with children but adults as well.

About the book:

Today, Irene Daria is a cognitive developmental psychologist and reading tutor to the stars, including the children of Kate Winslet, Cate Blanchett, and Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan. At the time of this memoir, she was a graduate student and “just” a mom thrilled that her son had been accepted to one of the most esteemed public schools in Manhattan. Sure that he was on the path to a venerable education, she did not listen when her 5-year-old told her that he—like millions of other children—was not being taught how to read in school.

An entire, very painful school year passed before Eric got her to realize he was right. Follow along as Daria begins a perplexing but ultimately empowering journey to save his academic life. She finds herself pitted against well-intentioned teachers and administrators she would have loved to trust if only they weren’t so misinformed. The more Daria tries to get the school to see that it is teaching reading all wrong, the more the school insists there is something wrong with her child and not with its teaching.

Although I Didn’t Believe Him is about a disturbing topic, it is a joy to read. Its pages overflow with the tenderness and love a mother has for her child and the trust a child has that his mother will make everything right. In addition to sharing her personal story, Daria takes you behind closed doors at a top-rated school to witness how flawed teaching methods are causing millions of kids to struggle with reading. You will see how a child’s struggles in school affect the entire family. In an entertaining who-dun-it way, you will learn about the horrifying history of reading instruction in our country and the absurd way reading is currently being taught in many schools.

Simply by going on this life-altering journey with Daria and her son, you will learn how to teach a child to read and will be empowered to set any child on the path to becoming a proficient reader.

Dr. Irene Daria

Irene Daria is a developmental psychologist specializing in teaching children how to read. She has taught reading to the children of many celebrities, as well as to hundreds of other children—both as a paid specialist and as a volunteer in Harlem—and has trained teachers in the science of reading.

Before becoming a psychologist, Dr. Daria worked as a reporter at Women’s Wear Daily and an editor at Harper’s Bazaar and has written hundreds of articles for publications ranging from The New York Times and Money, to Parents, Mademoiselle and Glamour.

She is the author of four books— I Didn’t Believe Him, The Fashion Cycle, Lutece, and A Woman Doctor’s Guide to Miscarriage—as well as the Steps to Reading workbook series. A passionate literacy advocate, she lives with her husband in Manhattan and Amagansett, NY, and is the proud mother of two adult sons.

Thank you,

Glenda, Charlie and David Cates