Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing

I am a freshman instructor, so I know first hand how sheltered my students are when they first come to college. After reading "Cool Like Me" by Alexander in my old reader, most of my students believed that the author was "racist," which is a horrible misunderstanding. Freshmen cannot, literally, think outside the box. They need readings like these to open their eyes and begin to think critically. I am now going to use this book in my class, and I encourage other freshmen composition teachers to follow.

I, too, am confused by others who claim that this book is a leftist propaganda. While it is true that many of its articles and stories are told from a "different" perspective, that does not mean that these voices should be ignored.

This book is great for first-year writing students because it provides them with various topics to talk about, which always leads to engaging in-class discussions. It also allows students to explore immediate social, cultural and political issues that are close to their lives with its refreshingly original and fun readings. Another benefit is that this text contains readings across different genres, from political essays, excepts from books, short stories, to poetry, which allows instructors to use both rhetorical and literary analysis as a part of their curriculum.

Unlike other sterile and value-neutral composition books that fail to encourage students to do their own creative and critical thinking, this text brings in multiple perspectives from margins of the society that deserve to be heard and discussed. I don't think this text aims to change anyone's political or social views from right to left, although it does provoke in-depth critical thinking and writing that should be at the center of any first-year curriculum at the college level.

I personally used this text several times for my freshman composition courses and most students had positive things to say, even though they may not have agreed with all the articles. After all, should college students be only given reading material that they feel "safe" thinking and writing about? While other reviewers believe this text is overtly controversial, I personally don't understand why issues dealing with race, gender, sexuality, social class, and religion are deemed "controversial" until this day. After all, doesn't America thrive on diversity and multiculturalism? Don't most college graduates pursue a career to compete and succeed in a global economy? So why shouldn't these issues be read, discussed, and written about in college classrooms? If not in college, then when?

I took a class and was required to read this book. It was the worst book I have ever HAD to read! I struggled to finish the reading assignments. This book was so biased I couldn't believe it. Once again America is the root of all evil, and the white man is the devil. The authors need to take another look at America, and see that there is some good going on here! Only someone that is so miserable and bitter would believe (or write) this book. They had nothing good to say about America...if it is so bad here, why don't they move (and take along anyone that agrees with them).

I'm confused by the reviewers who label this book as leftist propaganda. Sure, it has essays by Michael Moore, Susan Faludi and others who have raised a few hackles, but these articles can be placed in context with other articles both in the textbook itself and on the online guide.

I am using this book in a comp course, and I have to say that from my years of teaching, many students *do* need to have a few hackles raised, to be challenged in their beliefs, at least at my predominantly white middle class college....

Even if you disagree with some of the viewpoints presented in this textbook (and if you didn't disagree with ANY of them, then it really would be a politicalthink primer, wouldn't it?), isn't one of the goals of teaching composition to teach *critical thinking and reading*? My students seem to have no problem either with being 'brainwashed' into the alleged left wing ideology of the book, or with picking apart the obvious snowjobs. They are excited to read articles that are somewhat relevant to their lives, and from people who are currently big (Moore, Medved, Kilbourne, Tannen) in their fields. Most of my students have had 18 years of experience being brainwashed by the media, and this book offers plenty of choices of opinions, and plenty of *different ones* that the students really have to think for themselves.

Oh, and for the record, I'm a Republican. Extra weird how *I* don't see the vast liberal conspiracy in this book.

I have used this book several times now, and while I have had a few neo-conservative students (like those writing the more scathing comments here) who have initially bristled at the more left-leaning readings, those same students are happy to find that voices from their world (i.e. Michael Medved, Danielle Crittenden) are also represented. In fact, these students have left my class stating that the book surprised them, got them to think about these issues from different perspectives. While it certainly didn't turn them into activists for the left, it did get them to think more critically about the propaganda they are fed from ALL sides of the political spectrum, and it also helped them to decipher solid argument from fallacy-driven writing.

The reason I chose to use this book was that I wanted a text that gracefully integrated voices from a multitude of class, race, gender, and political standpoints. This text does just that. We don't just hear from dead white guys and a few token voices of color and gender. Rather, we hear from people of all different lived experiences--everyone from Dan Rather to June Jordan.

The editors also include some helpful tips for using this book in a composition classroom, which many instructors who are wary of using such controversial material will find useful.

Most composition instructors want to help their students think for themselves, to avoid simply parroting what their favorite pundits and talk radio hosts say, and this book, by challenging what we consider norms in our culture, helps to accomplish that by challenging American cultural myths from all sides of the political and social spectrum. However, if you don't like your class discussions to become heated, and if you are scared of ruffling students' feathers, I would recommend a different book. Actually, The Arlington Reader provides a number of similar readings with a much less politically-charged context.

Overall, however, I find this book to be a gem amidst the many cultural readers out there.