This book investigates the decline in American literacy rates by arguing that the shift from phonics-based instruction to 'look-and-say' methods is the primary cause of reading failure. Rudolf Flesch, a proponent of phonetic instruction, utilizes historical analysis and comparative data to demonstrate the efficacy of teaching children to decode letters into sounds. He presents a structured framework for parents to implement phonics at home to supplement or replace school-based instruction.

This work is recognized as a foundational text in the phonics versus whole-language debate in American education. Readers frequently note the direct, polemical style of the prose and its enduring influence on homeschooling curricula and literacy advocacy groups.