The Questioning Reader is an innovative, thematic freshman anthology that asserts the primacy of questioning and inquiry as strategies for gaining knowledge.

Because the vital give-and-take of conversation between a writer and a questioning reader lives in every good piece of writing, questioning infuses this reader's organization and pedagogy. Each thematic chapter title fixes an essential question for today's world. An introductory chapter, “Reading, Writing, and the Inquiring Mind,” guides students through the reading and writing process and lays out questioning strategies as the source for understanding a text and composing one. Also, penetrating pre- and post-reading questions with each selection challenge students and promote critical thinking, reading, and writing.