Journal of Urban Mathematics Education July 2015, Vol. 8, No. 1, pp. 14–16 ©JUME. http://education.gsu.edu/JUME CHRISTOPHER C. JETT is an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics in the College of Science and Mathematics at the University of West Georgia, 1601 Maple St., Carroll- ton, GA 30118; email: cjett@westga.edu. His research interests are centered on employing a criti- cal race theoretical perspective to mathematics education research, particularly, at the undergradu- ate mathematics level. He is the current Book Review editor of the Journal of Urban Mathematics Education. EDITORIAL An Urban Mathematics Education Book Review?: Considerations for JUME Book Review Authors Christopher C. Jett University of West Georgia Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. – Francis Bacon, 1625 eading books can be an enriching experience. There are a growing number of books devoted to many topics in the urban mathematics education domain and beyond. As an intellectual enterprise, urban mathematics education borrows from many intellectual traditions. Therefore, it is critically important for urban mathe- matics education that researchers and scholars who have chosen to work in this domain read across genres, disciplines, and traditions. Such cross-disciplinary read- ing exponentially grows the number of books that have potential to influence the field. The aforementioned Francis Bacon epigraph suggests that books often fall into three categories for readers. My remarks here are for those who seek to “chew and digest” books that speak, both directly and somewhat indirectly, to urban math- ematics education. In this editorial, I highlight some important points for potential book review authors to consider when submitting a manuscript to JUME. First and foremost, authors must pay attention to urban mathematics educa- tion. I encourage book review authors to read Tate (2008) to consider the im- portance of positioning urban in mathematics education scholarship, in particular, and Milner (2012) to consider evolving conceptualizations of urban education, in general. Of course, book review authors should consider the customary elements associated with a book review such as understanding the context (i.e., cultural, his- torical, political, racial, social, and so on) from which the book was written, high- lighting special features of the book, and providing an overview of its possible con- tributions to the field, to name a few. My point here is for authors to consider the frontiers of urban scholarship when outlining, brainstorming, and drafting a JUME book review. R http://education.gsu.edu/JUME mailto:cjett@westga.edu Jett Book Review Journal of Urban Mathematics Education Vol. 8, No. 1 15 Second, authors should personalize, contextualize, and problematize their identities, experiences, and ideologies with respect to the text. It might be appropri- ate for authors to do this in the beginning of the book review to “hook” or “grab” the reader’s attention, in the middle when justifying what might be important or lacking in the book, or near the end to link the arguments put forth in the book to their own experiences. The urban domain encompasses many facets; understanding the worldview(s) of the writer of the book review in conjunction with the text helps to shed light on the salient features that the text might provide urban mathematics education research, teaching, and learning. For example, in my JUME book review of Danny Martin’s (2009) edited volume Mathematics Teaching, Learning, and Liberation in the Lives of Black Children (see Jett, 2009), I shared my epistemolog- ical and pedagogical stances as an African American male scholar and researcher. I used my positionality as a means to connect with those who I thought would benefit from the book. I encourage JUME book review authors, too, to reflect and to recog- nize where they stand in regards to issues raised in the text. Lastly, authors should be willing to critique the text as the pages of JUME are intended to push the boundaries of canonical scholarship while illuminating urban excellence (Matthews, 2008). Being critical is essential, and engaging in the itera- tive process of critical thinking should urge authors “to think long, hard, and criti- cally; to unpack; to move beyond the surface; to work for knowledge” (hooks, 2010, pp. 9–10). I challenge authors to think critically about the messages the book sends to, for, and about urban students, teachers, parents, communities, and ulti- mately, to the disciplinary field of urban mathematics education. Therefore, be sure to critically evaluate the book and its associated merits (and lack thereof), especial- ly through an urban mathematics education lens. As the JUME book review editor, I invite potential authors to submit manu- scripts that advance the intellectual enterprise called urban mathematics education. We, the JUME Editorial Team, especially wish for the book review section to be a space for graduate students and early career scholars to grapple with the possibili- ties, challenges, and opportunities that might arise from reading and engaging with a particular text. As previously noted, there has been exponential growth in pub- lished books that have the potential to positively influence how the larger mathe- matics community thinks about urban research and scholarship and urban teaching and learning. A book review is a great way to introduce the larger community to different ideas. In closing, I leave potential authors with one final consideration. Adler and Van Doren (1972/2014) contend: “Every book has a skeleton hidden be- tween its covers. Your job as an analytical reader is to find it” (p. 75). In keeping with the sentiments of that statement, I challenge book review authors to find those urban mathematics education skeletons and bring them to the fore in their book re- views in critical and unique ways. Jett Book Review Journal of Urban Mathematics Education Vol. 8, No. 1 16 References Adler, M. J., & Van Doren, C. (2014). How to read a book: The classic guide to intelligent reading (Touchstone ed.). New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. (Original work published 1972) hooks, b. (2010). Teaching critical thinking: Practical wisdom. New York, NY: Routledge. Jett, C. C. (2009). Mathematics, an empowering tool for liberation?: A review of Mathematics Teaching, Learning, and Liberation in the Lives of Black Children. Journal of Urban Mathe- matics Education [Review of the book Mathematics Teaching, Learning, and Liberation in the Lives of Black Children. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education], 2(2), 66–71. Re- trieved from http://ed-osprey.gsu.edu/ojs/index.php/JUME/article/view/48/21 Martin, D. B. (Ed.). (2009). Mathematics teaching, learning, and liberation in the lives of Black children. New York, NY: Routledge. Matthews, L. E. (2008). Illuminating urban excellence: A movement of change within mathematics education. Journal of Urban Mathematics Education [Editorial], 1(1), 1–4. Retrieved from http://ed-osprey.gsu.edu/ojs/index.php/JUME/article/view/20/9 Milner, H. R. (2012). But what is urban education? Urban Education, 47(3), 556–561. Tate, W. (2008). Putting the “urban” in mathematics education scholarship. Journal of Urban Math- ematics Education, 1(1), 5–9. Retrieved from http://ed-osprey.gsu.edu/ojs/index.php/JUME/article/view/19/2 http://ed-osprey.gsu.edu/ojs/index.php/JUME/article/view/48/21 http://ed-osprey.gsu.edu/ojs/index.php/JUME/article/view/20/9 http://ed-osprey.gsu.edu/ojs/index.php/JUME/article/view/19/2