Organized around high-interest contemporary themes, the Fourth Edition A Community of Readers presents college reading skills in the context of current and real-life issues relevant to students' communities.

The authors use a unique system to teach the reading process called PRO (P-repare to Read, R-ead Actively and Reflect, and O-rganize to learn) that is introduced in the first chapter and then reinforced in every chapter opening and chapter review, giving students a concrete learning device to follow. Each chapter introduces a key reading skill (main idea, vocabulary, inference), with all readings in that chapter centered on the same theme. This thematic organization helps students develop schema while improving their reading skills. The Fourth Edition emphasizes both basic reading skills and higher level, critical reading skills, examining fact and opinion, understanding bias, and thinking critically.