Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #111122 in Books
• Published on: 2005-02-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From the Back Cover

Bridges: A Reader for Writers helps generate ideas by offering nine thematic units that are of interest to students — 1) Family; 2) Youth and Age; 3) Education; 4) Love and Commitment; 5) Male and Female Relationships; 6) The World of Work; 7) Dreams, Goals, Decisions; 8) Entertainment; and 9) Technology.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

In Bertice Berry's autobiography Bertice: The World According to Me, she writes that "By changing the emotions that are evoked, she tries to interrupt the tapes in people's heads" and adds "Herein lies the possibility to create change." When I first conceived the idea for this textbook, I had not read Berry's book, but I had a similar idea: I wanted to prepare a textbook that would change the emotions and attitudes as well as increase the knowledge and improve the competencies of students entering college writing courses. When I did read her book, I realized that what I hope to do is "change the tapes" in students' heads. I want students to hear positive, not negative, voices in their heads, voices that encourage, not discourage, them in their attempts to improve their writing abilities.

Bridges: A Reader for Writers is a reader intended to provide positive activities and thoughts for students in beginning composition courses in college. Throughout the textbook, the cognitive is integrated with the affective to help students develop writing skills, build confidence, and cope with writing apprehension. The selections provide varied opportunities for students to read, discuss, and practice the processes and patterns of writing. The book encourages feedback from classmates as well as the instructor at all stages of the writing process. The study aids help students understand the bridges and interconnections among the four aspects of the communications process—speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

It may be used with a handbook or rhetoric.

The emphasis is on writing from experience and helping students to realize that they have a broad range of experience from which to find topics, to discover evidence for writing, to write for a variety of audiences, and to construct both expository and argumentative essays for adult readers. The selections in this anthology—essays (both professional and student), poems, short stories—are brief and on topics of easy access and high interest to entering students in order to stimulate their thought and discussion. Drawn from a variety of authors and sources, the selections are appropriate for students of diverse backgrounds, abilities, interests, and goals. They are arranged topically, but two alternate tables of contents—rhetorical patterns and sources of ideas for writers—are also included. The study aids at the end of each selection include not only questions for vocabulary study, comprehension, and discussion, but also suggestions for practice in effective word choice, grammatical patterns, sentence patterns, paragraphing, and essay construction to help students improve their writing.

At the end of the course, I hope that the tapes in students' heads will be changed—that they will say, "I now understand better what I have to do to write more effectively" "I have improved my writing ability and want to continue to improve," and "I realize that although most writing is hard work, it can be fun and rewarding."

Many people contribute to a project such as this one, and I would like to thank all of them. First, I want to thank my students and colleagues—past and present; much that I have learned from them is reflected in this book. A special thanks goes to Craig Campanella, Senior Editor for English at Prentice-Hall/Pearson Education, for his confidence in me and guidance in this project. Gail Linton, Prentice Hall Sales Representative in Florida, provided encouragement and liaison. Other important members of the Prentice Hall staf include Joan Polk, Editorial Assistant; Kate Stewart, Marketing Manager; and Marianne Peters-Riordan, Production Liaison. In addition, I want to thank Kelly Keeler, Production Editor at GGS Production Services, who worked closely and patiently with me on the copyediting and production of the final manuscript. Thanks also to others who worked on the preparation of the final manuscript: Sharon O'Donnell, copy editor; Lynn von Hassel, proofreader; and Annette Coolidge, permissions editor.

The busy, concerned instructors who took time to review the early manuscript and make helpful comments have made a valuable contribution to this textbook. Thanks to Dorothy Bonser, Owens Community College; Derek Bowe, Oakwood College; Danielle Marie Carney Cerritos College; Eric Cash, Abraham Baldwin College; Heidi Goen-Salter, Diablo Valley College; Karen Hackley Houston Community College; Deonne Kunkel, Diablo Valley College; Deborah Morrott, Utah Valley State College; Jo Ann Pavlevitch, University of Houston; Iris Rozencwajg, Houston Community College; Julie Segedy, Chabot College; Carla Witt, California Polytechnic; William Allen, UMass-Lowell; Danielle Carney, Cerritos College; Cindy Casper, Norwalk Community College; and Rosie Branciforte, International Academy of Design.

Finally, I thank King Edward the Porn, Miss Mindy the Poodle, Sugar Bear the Pom, and the newest member of our household Sargeant Pugsli the Pug for loving companionship during my long hours at the desk and computer and for enjoyable diversions when I needed them. Most of all, I thank my husband Thomas E. Hicks, Sr., for his love and patience throughout this project and all my other academic endeavors.

SYLVIA A. HOLLADAY