Developing Critical Reading Skills - Softcover

Milan Spears, Deanne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0073385735 ISBN 13: 9780073385730

Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities Social, 2008

Synopsis

Although the world has changed a lot since the first edition, the underlying premise of Developing Critical Reading Skills has not. The premise of the text is that good reading and clear thinking go hand in hand. For this reason, it emphasizes practice in sustained, analytical reading. Students first work with high-quality short passages before moving on to more substantive pieces of greater complexity. The readings explore diverse subjects: anthropology, sports, human behavior, politics, social policy, education, ethics, autobiography, personal reminiscence, the minority and immigrant experience, humor, satire, and so forth. The passages also reflect diverse writing styles, thereby giving students the experience of reading high-level prose by its best practitioners.

This book succeeds when students become more self-assured about their reading and when they recognize that reading well—with confidence, fluency, and enjoyment—is a significant part of their emotional and academic lives. As the book’s epigram by Tobias Wolff says: “A true piece of writing is a dangerous thing. It can change your life.” Students will feel genuine excitement when they encounter a writer who shows them a new way of looking at their lives and at the world. It is this feeling—this inspiration—that Deanne Spears imparts.

About this title

About the Author:

After receiving a B.A. and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California, Deanne Milan worked for a management consultant firm as a junior editor. A few months of delivery mail, typing, and correcting the consultants' grammar convinced her that a business business career was not for her. She found a part-time job teaching at Los Angeles Valley College, taught for a while at Rio Hondo Community College, and in 1968 joined the English Department at City College of San Francisco. She has done postgraduate work at San Francisco State University, studying logic, anthropology and literature. At City College of San Francisco she teaches reading, composition, and computer courses. In addition to DEVELOPING READING SKILLS, 5/e, she is the author of an intermediate reading book, IMPROVING READING SKILLS (3/e) published by McGraw-Hill. She recently married a fellow English teacher, David Spears.

About this edition

• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities Social
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0073385735
• ISBN 13: 9780073385730
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 582