An excellent value with a price lower than other thematic readers. In response to requests for a low-priced reader that still provides current, quality selections and tested pedagogy, The Arlington Reader is now offered at about $15-25 less than similar readers.
Classic selections and fresh voices. The Arlington Reader offers classic models of good writing by N. Scott Momaday, Alice Walker, and Sherry Turkle as well as fresh voices such as Marjane Satrapi, Brian Doyle, Michael Pollan, and David Sedaris. Photographs in each chapter add a visual dimension and help students learn to analyze images.
Selections drawn from a variety of disciplines. With eight themes such as language, identity, life choices, scientific discovery, ethics, and the environment, the chapters are broad and flexible enough to encompass a wide variety of topics, and the range of disciplines included allows students to work across a number of academic subject areas, such as law, environmental studies, and science and technology. An alterative rhetorical table of contents allows this flexible book to be easily adapted to instructors' individual needs.
Selected essays are followed by distinctive contextual materials. In each chapter, a classic, often-taught piece is followed by contextual material to reveal its circumstances, adding depth, freshness, and new perspectives. For instance, the context for Richard Rodriguez's “Aria: Memoir of a Bilingual Childhood” includes photos of Rodriguez, interviews, and excerpts from articles on educational acculturation.
Helpful apparatus moves students from critical reading to thoughtful writing and revising. It includes a substantial introduction with advice on critical reading and writing essays, headnotes, and reading and discussion questions following each essays.