A mainstream thematic reader for first-year composition courses, this compilation is distinctive from other major readers in that it places a significant emphasis on the role of ethical perspectives in examining themes in non-fiction and literary works. Challenging Perspectives encourages students to grapple with their own views of the world as they are challenged by moral and ethical issues suggested by or directly discussed in a particular selection. Comprised of over 80 non-fiction essays, short stories, poems, and images, the reader's numerous argumentative and persuasive pieces make it a rigorous and substantial anthology ideally suited to composition courses centering on argumentative writing.