This cutting-edge, aims-based reader examines the rhetorical context of each reading selection, exploring the interrelationship between writers, their audience, and their purpose.

Experienced teachers and authors Suzanne Webb and Lou Ann Thompson provide students with the means to analyze the context of writing, which encompasses the writer's purpose, consideration of the audience, and consideration of the writer's own background and situation.

Readings include a diverse selection of outstanding essays by authors including Maya Angelou, Edward Abbey, and Richard Selzer; some are grouped around provocative themes, such as whether or not to slaughter one's own meat and the value of having children. “Images” sections in each reading chapter provide photographs, ads, and illustrations grouped around a thought-provoking theme, such as images of Muslim women wearing headscarves. An essay by Camelia Entekhabi-Fard also explores the meaning of the veil for Muslim women.

Five chapters on reading and writing, including illustrative essays, lay the foundation for the six readings chapters that follow. Questions at the end of each reading stimulate students to analyze the context and language of each reading, and provide specific suggestions for writing. The thought-provoking nature of the readings, and the diversity of the authors represented—from Malcolm X to Camryn Manheim to Dave Barry—ensure that students will connect with the subject matter and receive a strong foundation for their own writing practice.