Readicide: How Schools Are Killing Reading and What You Can Do About It

In 'Readicide,' educator Kelly Gallagher diagnoses a self-inflicted crisis in American education: the systematic destruction of students' will to read. He coins the term 'readicide' to describe how well-intentioned but misguided institutional practices actively extinguish the very love of reading they aim to instill. The book positions this phenomenon not as an inevitable byproduct of digital distraction or socioeconomic factors, but as a direct consequence of contemporary pedagogical orthodoxy.

Gallagher meticulously details the specific classroom mechanisms of this decline. He indicts the supremacy of standardized testing, which reduces reading to a series of decontextualized skills for assessment, divorcing it from pleasure or purpose. He critiques the common practice of 'overteaching' a single whole-class novel, where a great book is drowned in a sea of sticky notes, repetitive journals, and granular analysis until all life is drained from it. Conversely, he also examines 'underteaching,' where students are thrown into complex texts without the necessary scaffolding to access them, ensuring confusion and resentment.

The argument builds toward a crucial distinction: schools are producing capable test-takers, not genuine readers. The curriculum mandates breadth over depth, academic texts over recreational ones, and compliance over curiosity. This creates a generation that can decode passages but sees no reason to pick up a book outside of an assignment.

Ultimately, 'Readicide' is a pragmatic manifesto for English Language Arts teachers, literacy coaches, and administrators. Gallagher moves beyond critique to offer a clear framework for reversal. He advocates for protected time for free voluntary reading, a balance between close analysis and reading for flow, and strategic support for challenging material. The book serves as both a rallying cry and a practical guide for those seeking to rebuild a culture of authentic, lifelong literacy in their schools.

The critical consensus among educators is one of profound validation and urgent practicality. Readers, predominantly teachers, hail the book as a vital confirmation of their frontline experiences, providing scholarly backing for their frustrations with test-centric mandates. The specific, actionable strategies in the second half are celebrated for being immediately applicable, transforming the work from a mere polemic into an essential toolkit for classroom reform. The primary critique is a desire for even more concrete examples, though the tone is overwhelmingly one of gratitude for its concise, convincing, and empowering message.