Is the problem with the students (too dumb?) or incompetent teachers? How many teachers read out of the algebra books year after year, but really can't explain the subject matter? Books may do a good job describing in detail one method for solving problems, but how many students think in the exact manner as the textbook author?
IMO the good teacher shouldn't need the narrative in the book, he should be able to explain the material in a number of different ways. Whatever method makes the light bulb go on in the students' brains is the one that works.
Then again, that methodology relies upon and encourages independent thinking, and we certainly can't have that going on.
As soon as I started reading your post I was reminded of that Robin Williams movie where he has the students tear out the Intro pages to the poetry text book.
That was a classic scene.
I've taken some courses and Algebra comes up in all of them, and they are not math courses.