For courses in Developmental Writing and Freshman Composition. This innovative reader helps students develop a strong cognitive approach to critical reading and writing by challenging them to express their own ideas on controversial issues and to respond to those of others on the same issues. It features opposing, accessible readings on fifteen current topics — with questions to stimulate application of prior knowledge, critical response, and persuasive writing — and with a focus on developing an active, questioning, skeptical approach toward ideas in print.

Table of Contents:
Introduction. “Winter Survival,” David W. Johnson and Frank P. Johnson. 1. Overview: The Process of Critical Reading and Writing. “The Process of Critical Reading.” “The Writing Process.” 2. The Juvenile Justice System: Does It Work? “Mapping the Streets of Crime,” from Newsweek. “Why Not Name Guilty Juveniles?,” Michael Olesker. 3. Bystanders Witnessing a Crisis. “Triple Slaying Probed,” from the Associated Press. “37 Who Saw Murder Didn't Call the Police,” Martin Gansberg. 4. American Attitudes Toward Aging. “Am I an Adult Yet?,” Gail Sheehy. “Old Before Her Time,” Katherine Barrett. 5. Aggression in Sports. “Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll,” George Plimpton. “A Humanistic Approach to Sports,” Irving Simon. 6. Controlling Our Own Health. “God Helps Those Who Stop Hurting Themselves,” Harold Kushner. “Heart Attack!,” Michael Crichton. 7. Equal Pay: The Controversies. “Three Decades After the Equal-Pay Act, Women's Wages Remain Far From Parity,” Joan E. Rigdon. “Why Women Are Paid Less Than Men,” Lester C. Thurow. 8. Obedience: A Good Quality? “When I Need Your Opinion I'll Give It to You,” Sam Levenson. “Would You Obey a Hitler?,” Jeanne Reinert. 9. Resisting Civil Authority. “Liberty of Conscience In Its Relation to Civil Government,” Orthodox Friends. “Boston Tea Party,” John Fiske. 10. Images of Men: Fantasy or Reality? “I Want a Wife,” Judy Brady. “Confessions of a Female Chauvinist Sow,” Anne Roiphe. 11. The Right to Bear Arms. “American Revolutionary,” Matthew Edwards. “The Hydrogen Bomb Lobby,” Art Buchwald. 12. Pornography: Free Speech? “Equality and Speech,” Catharine A. MacKinnon. “Why We Must Put Up with Porn,” Susan Isaacs. 13. Physician-Assisted Suicide. “Threat of Assisted Suicide,” Maggie Gallagher. “Reflections on `Death with Dignity Act,'” Alan Meisel. “Death and Dignity: A Case of Individualized Decision Making,” Timothy E. Quill. 14. Reactions to Crowded Cities. “Everyone Belonged,” Harry Golden. “Sex Morals on the Lower East Side,” Harry Golden. “The Poets Were Paid,” Harry Golden. “Sliding Down into the Behavioral Sink,” Tom Wolfe. 15. The Effects of Technology on Society. “A New Declaration of Independence,” Charles Siegel. “On the Edge of the Digital Age: The Historic Moment,” Peter Leyden. 16. Reducing the Threat of Drugs. “Past Experience with Legalization,” Kim Edward Light. “The War on Drugs Should Be Abandoned,” Daniel K. Benjamin and Roger Leroy Miller. Appendix A. Word Parts. Appendix B. Guide to Literary Terms. Appendix C. Allusion. Appendix D. Connotations of Names. Appendix E. Figures of Speech: Metaphors, Similes, and Clichés. Appendix F. The Formality Spectrum: Indicators of Informality and Formality. Appendix G. Irony of Situation. Appendix H. Irony of Wording. Appendix I. Jargon. “Little Miss Muffet,” by Russell Baker. Appendix J. Symbols. Appendix K. Spelling List. Appendix L. Discussion Grading Sheet. Appendix M. Conference Checklist.