Strategy and Structure contains 37 short readings arranged by rhetorical patterns, which are presented as techniques or methods that enable a writer to fulfill the purpose of an essay.

A broad and diverse selection of writing by powerful, popular writers such as Joan Didion, John Steinbeck, and Langston Hughes, are mixed with those of many writers never before anthologized. The collection ensures that students will face challenging, stimulating readings chapter after chapter. All of the readings have been class-tested and chosen based on their ability to interest students. In addition, the book contains a brief chapter on developing critical reading skills and an extensive chapter devoted to the writing process with a step-by-step explanation of how to write an essay.