This brief collection of readings focuses on the crucial role of the citizen in the democratic process. Thought-provoking selections ask students to think about timely and relevant issues: civil liberties vs. increased national security; consumerist values and environmental responsibility; immigration and the need for educational reform. Divided into five chapters, each features six or seven essays of varying lengths. Brief apparatus helps students write more thoughtfully in response to the selections and think more critically about their roles as citizens.

“Longman Topics” are brief, attractive readers on a single complex, but compelling topic. Featuring about 30 full-length selections, these volumes are generally half the size and half the cost of standard composition readers.