Rereading America

I am a Freshman comp student, like some of our unfavorable reviewers here. However, I am also not a blinded, brainwashed neocon who pledges unwavering loyalty to the myths projected on America from the Right. In high school, what little thought there was about culture and life was always very one-dimensional. Either you're for abortion or you're not. Either you're black or you're white. Either you're a god-hating liberal who believes that scientific evidence means something, or you're a reverent true believer who has been saved by the inerrant divine word of the Bible. This book attracts significant criticism for those who live in a one-dimensional world. One which is so flawed and reductionist that it cannot comprehend someone honest coming to a disagreeing opinion. One which is so afraid of being challenged in their beliefs, who paints their ideological opponents as consorts with the greatest evil ever imagined, that they cannot even begin to sit down and rationally dissect the essays of Sam Harris or Michael Moore. It is truly pitiful that we even have to have this discussion in Freshman year. In the perfect world, parents would raise their children to be respectful and to think rationally about life. But we do not live in that world. We live in a world where the best way to defeat an opponent in an argument is through either shouting at high volume, dismissing them a priori with ad hominem, using false dichotomies to equate your opponents with absurd definitions, amongst boundless other things which any critical thinker and certainly any college professor of English would recognize as the hallmark of ignorance and close-mindedness. And so this book exists because of those who challenge it. In the perfect world, where everyone was sane and rational, this book would not be necessary. Students could come to college already knowing that their world view is not the only legitimate one, that no one person is privileged with divine authority to make the one true opinion, and that respect is a virtue that is necessary to have an honest intellectual discussion. But alas, this book is to me a lament to those who have already made up their minds, at 18 years old, just what the truth is. They come to college to get a print out that says they're not stupid. They don't come to learn. PS, this is not a liberal apology. I, like the other sane reviewers before me, am not a liberal. Even if I were, it would be completely irrelevant, as being a liberal does not make one any less valuable than being a conservative does.

i was reading this book for my english 101 class and it was quite interesting to read the stories. very good book

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?

Every essay in this fabulous book is enjoyable, readable, and enlightening. We learn the experiences of women, African-Americans, Latinos, Asians, working people and many other groups through the voices of people in those groups. The selections are both autobiographical and fictional. I assign this book to classes from high school through graduate school, and I also give it to my friends. It's good!!!