There are numerous strongly held views and myths about African American students in general and middle school students in particular. This study investigated widely held views about African American middle school students' attitudes toward reading and about how positive attitudes toward reading affect reading performances. In this study, four research questions were posed: What are African American middle school students' attitudes toward reading? How do African American boys and girls differ in their attitudes toward reading? What is the relationship between African American middle school students' attitudes toward reading and their reading comprehension? Does the relationship between attitudes and comprehension levels differ for African American boys and girls? The population for this study consisted of middle school students from three local area middle schools in a large urban school district. The instrument used to attain the students' attitude score was Rhody Secondary Reading Attitude Assessment. The attitude score was compared to the students' reading comprehension score from the 2008 T-CAP data to see if a relationship existed. In response to the above questions, this study led to five major findings: (1) African American middle school students have a positive attitude toward reading, (2) African American middle school students are most positive toward general reading, a combination of academic and recreational reading, (3) Attitudes of males and females are strongly positive and they respond in a similar manner for various statements about their attitude toward reading, (4) No statistical relationship exists between reading attitudes and reading performance, and (5) Attitudes of neither boys nor girls influence their reading performances. The study points to the need for more research on African American learners' attitudes toward reading, the effects of these attitudes on reading performance, and the assumed variance in attitudes and reading performance between African American males and females. This study also identifies factors that need to be considered by those who design the literacy curriculum for middle school teachers in urban schools. Most importantly, the present study raises questions about ways to better address the needs of middle school, African American students in relation to reducing the achievement gaps between non-mainstream and mainstream students. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]