Environment and Genes are often found in the titles of my articles, but this is the first and most likely the last of my titles to include SSSR. This article is based on my presidential address at the 10th annual meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Reading (SSSR) in Boulder, Colorado (2003), so I begin with some reflection on the origins and evolution of SSSR over the past 10 years. I then turn to opinion and evidence regarding environmental and genetic influences on individual differences and group deficits in reading. I conclude the article with a discussion about why it is important to understand and acknowledge genetic as well as environmental influences.