Reading Our Histories, Understanding Our Cultures: A Sequenced Approach to Thinking, Reading, and Writing

This anthology of readings asks students to engage in critical thinking by looking at the cultural and historical basis of each selection. Includes chapters on fashion, technology, the environment, American cities, the family, Elvis, schools, and fairy tales. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

This book helps writers reconceptualize what is thought of as " the personal" within larger social contexts. It enables a writer to move from mere opinion to analytical and persuasive writing.

Writers are asked to engage in two complementary forms of inquiry: "historical analysis" analyzes change and continuity over time; and "cultural analysis" explores how and why different perspectives can exist within the same time period. In short, this book shows how to trace how a particular issue is woven into the larger social and cultural fabric For help with writing historical and cultural analyses.