america now short essays on current issues pdf

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America Now

Psychology in Everyday Life

Short essays on current issues fourteenth edition | ©2023 robert atwan.

ISBN:9781319488291

Take notes, add highlights, and download our mobile-friendly e-books.

ISBN:9781319331696

Read and study old-school with our bound texts.

The most current, brief, and high-interest readings in a single composition text—curated by Robert Atwan

America Now makes it easy for you to bring brief, thought-provoking essays on contemporary topics into your classroom. As series editor for The Best American Essays , Robert Atwan places an unrivaled focus on bringing today’s best writing to students. By immersing students in public dialogue, America Now stimulates thoughtful composition. Instructors tell us that their students respond to the essays in the book, and they praise the reading and writing instruction, critical thinking and reading questions, and model student essays. Over half of the readings are new and published since 2021, making it truly a book for todays composition course.

New to This Edition

“There is something for everyone here. It has lots of short items that you can pick and choose from, it builds vocabulary without boring students, and it also shows how sentence structure and paragraphing are important. I recommend it.” —Jane Perry, Norwalk Community College “For critical thinking and writing courses, America Now is a hybrid reader-manual for tactful discussions about popular issues in the United States. The questions are framed to invite personal experience and engagement with the topics and the shorter ones make great discussion board posts.” —Michael A. Reyes, California State University, Los Angeles “ America Now is a practical and well-organized text that supports essential college-level writing skills and focuses on a variety of timely topics in a way that encourages students to think critically and engage in academic conversation.” —Lauren E. O’Leary, Gateway Community College "The exercises, especially the ‘Thinking Critically’ questions, are extremely helpful to students. They allow students to practice their writing without having to write several essays—and they help them engage with the texts." —Andrew DiNicola, South Georgia State College

Fourteenth Edition | ©2023

Robert Atwan

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Fourteenth Edition | 2023

Table of Contents

Robert Atwan is the series editor of the annual Best American Essays, which he founded in 1985. A former director of The Blue Hills Writing Institute at Curry College, Atwan has published essays, reviews, and critical articles in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Iowa Review, Denver Quarterly, Kenyon Review, River Teeth, Creative Nonfiction, and many other publications. For Bedford/St. Martin’s, he has also edited Ten on Ten: Major Essayists on Recurring Themes (1992); Our Times (1998); and Convergences (2009). He has coedited (with Jon Roberts) Left, Right, and Center: Voices from Across the Political Spectrum (1996) and is editor of America Now (2017).

Fourteenth Edition | 2023

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America Now

Short essays on current issues, by robert atwan.

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America Now: Short Essays on Current Issues , 13e

Macmillan learning (bedford/st. martin's).

America Now makes it easy for you to bring brief, thought-provoking essays on contemporary topics into your classroom, with reliable pedagogy and an expert reader's knowledge of what works for students.

As series editor for The Best American Essays , Robert Atwan constantly scours a wide range of publications, bringing to America Now an unrivaled focus on today's best writing. Instructors tell us that their students want to respond to the essays in the book, and they praise the high-quality reading and writing instruction, critical thinking and reading questions, and model student essays that help them do so. Over half of the readings in America Now are new to this edition and published since 2018, making it truly a book for today's composition course.

Preface for Instructors

About the Editor

Introduction: Expressing Opinions with Clarity, Confidence, and Civility

What Is America Now ??

What Are Opinions?

How Do We Form Opinions??

From Discussion to Writing?

The Practice of Writing?

What Is "Correct English"??

Writing as a Public Activity?

The American Political Spectrum: A Brief Survey?

Free, Open, and Civil Discussion: The Challenges Today?

Writing for the Classroom: Two Annotated Student Essays?

Kati Mather, The Many Paths to Success?--?with or without a College Education ?

Erika Gallion, What's in a Major??

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Erika Gallion?

The Visual Expression of Opinion?

Photography?

JOE ROSENTHAL, Flag Raising at Iwo Jima ?(Photograph)?

THOMAS E. FRANKLIN, Three Firefighters Raising the Flag ?(Photograph)?

ALAN DIAZ, Elián González ?(Photograph)?

Political Cartoons?

R. J. MATSON, Government Listens to Its Citizens ?

NATE BEELER, Gay Marriage ?

Opinion Ads?

AD COUNCIL, Feed the Pig?

Writing as Empowerment?

Language: Do Words Matter?

In Brief--Sound Bites: What's in Name?

*Sylvia Taschka, What's Wrong with Hitler Comparisons?

Sarah Elliott, Women, Stop Apologizing: Be Confident (Student Essay)

???????? LOOKING CLOSELY:]? Establishing Your Main Point

???????? STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Sarah Elliott

*Gene Weingarten, Don't Use Your Words

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Jonah Engel Bromwich, Tell Us What to Call the Generation After Millennials (Please)

America Then… 1951: Langston Hughes, That Word Black

Free Speech: Is It Endangered On Campus?

*In Brief--Open Letter: Think for Yourself

*Wendy M. Williams and Stephen J. Ceci, There Are No Good Alternatives to Free Speech on Campus

Spotlight on Data and Research: Knight Foundation, Eight Ways College Students' Views on Free Speech Are Evolving

*Danny Bugingo, A Need for Safe Spaces (Student Essay)

???????? LOOKING CLOSELY: Moving from General to Specific

*ACLU, Speech on Campus

America Then... 1997: Wendy Kaminer, A Civic Duty to Annoy

U.S. History: How Do We Remember Our Past?

In Brief--Cartoon: Bill Bramhall, Mt. Rushmore: Student Activists Demanded Their Removal

Ernest B. Furgurson, The End of History?

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Rosalind Bentley, Are Southerners Losing Support for the Confederate Flag?

*Dasia Moore, When Does Renaming a Building Make Sense? (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY: Effective Argument: Organizing Points Systematically

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Dasia Moore

*Madeleine Aggeler, What to Tell People Who Don't Think Celebrating Columbus Day Is a Big Deal, Because It Definitely Is

America Then… 1493: Michele De Cuneo, Violence in the Virgin Islands

Immigration: Is It the Nation's Most Serious Issue?

In Brief--Etymology: Francine Diep, Why Did We Ever Call Undocumented Immigrants "Aliens"?

*Laila Lalami, Blending In

*Sravya Tadepalli, Say It Right: When People Mispronounce Your Name (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY: Posing a Question

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Sravya Tadepalli

Eric Foner, Birthright Citizenship Is the Good Kind of American Exceptionalism

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Scott Rasmussen, The Immigration Mess

*William C. Anderson, Solidarity Abolishes Borders

*America Then… 1883: Emma Lazarus, The New Colossus

Identity: How Does It Shape Our Sense of Self?

*In Brief--Proposal: Gish Gen, Identity 101

*Susan Power, Native in the Twenty-First Century

*Saadia Faruqi, Cut from the Same Cloth

Negin Farsad and Dean Obeidallah, The Muslims Are Coming!

Tadeu Velloso, Brown (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY: Describing a Defining Moment

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Tadeu Velloso

*Suzanne Fields, Submerged in a Din of Identity Politics

Spotlight on Data and Research: Matthew Bulger, What Makes an American?

America Then… 1782: J. Hector St. Jean de Crèvecoeur, The Melting Pot

Race: Why Does It Still Matter?

In Brief--Prose Poem: Claudia Rankine, You and Your Partner

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Chandra D. L. Waring, Black and Biracial Americans Wouldn't Need to Code-Switch If We Lived in a Post-Racial Society

Robin DiAngelo, White America's Racial Illiteracy

Dawn Lundy Martin, Weary Oracle

*Annette Gordon-Reed, America's Original Sin: Slavery and the Legacy of White Supremacy

*Destry Adams, Why Students Should Care about Affirmative Action (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY: Conceding the Merits of an Opposing Viewpoint

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Destry Adams

*America Then… 1986: Brent Staples, Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space

Guns: Can the Second Amendment Survive?

In Brief--Poem, Jane Vincent Taylor, New Law Makes Local Poet Nervous

New York Times Editorial Board, End the Gun Epidemic in America

John A. Fry, Allowing Guns Won't Make Campuses Safer

Brittney Christ, We Should Be Allowed to Protect Ourselves (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY: Effective Openings: Establishing a Clear Context for an

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Brittney Christ

*Dahleen Glanton, Stop Saying We Can't Do Anything to Stop Mass Shootings. We Can.

*Mona Charen, No Names

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Megan Brenan, Ten Takeaways about Americans' View of Guns

America Then... 1981: Paul Fussell, A Well-Regulated Militia

Feminism Today: What Are The Challenges?

*In Brief--Advertisement: We Should All Be Feminists

*Suzanna Danuta Walters, Why Can't We Hate Men

*Roxanne Roberts, In the Middle

*Amanda Nelson, Barbie Is Exploiting Frida Kahlo's Legacy (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY:? Effective Persuasion: Expressing an Opinion Clearly and Emphatically

Spotlight on Data and Research: Elizabeth Aura McClintock, The Psychology of Mansplaining

*Cartoon: Mansplaining (The New Yorker)

America Then...1972: Judy Brady, I Want a Wife

Gender Issues ?

In Brief--Report: American Dialect Society, The Word of the Year Is Singular They

*Alex Myers, How #MeToo Taught Me I Can Never Be a Man

*Adison Eyring, Narrowing Definition of Gender Marginalizes Trans, Intersex Communities (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY:? Making Distinctions

STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Adison Eyring

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Aamer Madhani, Poll: Approval of Same-Sex Marriage in U.S. Reaches New High

*Julie Compton, Boy or Girl? Parents Raising "Theybies" Let Kids Decide

*America Then… 1995: Katha Pollitt, Why Boys Don't Play with Dolls

The News Media: How Well Does it Serve the Public?

*In Brief--Report: American Dialect Society, The Word of the Year is Fake News

*How to spot fake news infographic?

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Amy Mitchell and Drew DeSilver, Telling the Difference Between Factual and Opinion Statements in the News

*Pew Research, Quiz: How Well Can You Tell Factual from Opinion Statements?

*Charles Carr, Reinstate the Fairness Doctrine!

*Ryan Fawwaz, Seeking Truth Is Intertwined with Journalistic Advocacy (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY:? Supporting Opinions with Specific Examples

*America Then...1938: Dorothy Thompson, Mr. Welles and Mass

Patriotism: Is It Obsolete??

*In Brief--Comic: Jen Sorensen, Patriotism vs. Nationalism

*Jose Azel, Patriotism vs. Nationalism

*Jonette Christian, Is Patriotism Obsolete?

*Spotlight on Data and Research: Tom Jacobs, Patriotic Americans Are Pro-Immigration

*Student Essay: Roshae Hemmings, Burning Shoes to #BoycottNike Will Only Reignite Colin Kaepernick's Movement, The Maneater (Missouri University), September 10, 2018

???????? LOOKING CLOSELY: Using Quotations Effectively

???????? STUDENT WRITER AT WORK: Roshae Hemmings

America Then… 1852, Frederick Douglass, from What, To a Slave, is the Fourth of July?

Political Polarization: How Disunited Is the United States?

*Print Ad: Thomas J. Donohue, Putting the "Civil" Back into Civil Society

*Livia Gershon, Should Politics Be Civil?

Avi Tuschman, Political Evolution: Why Do Young Voters Lean Left? It's in the Genes

*Angel Diaz, How the Overton Window Theory Explains Today's Extreme Political Rhetoric (Student Essay)

LOOKING CLOSELY:? Writing with Emphasis

*Spotlight on Data and Research: America's Seven Political Tribes

America Then...1787 Benjamin Franklin, I Agree to This Constitution, with All Its Faults

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America Now

Fourteenth  edition | ©2023  robert atwan.

ISBN:9781319488291

Take notes, add highlights, and download our mobile-friendly e-books.

ISBN:9781319331696

Read and study old-school with our bound texts.

Includes eBook Trial Access

ISBN:9781319527280

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The most current, brief, and high-interest readings in a single composition text—curated by renowned editor Robert Atwan With thematic collections of readings on topics ranging from cancel culture to the politics of food and from sources such as Instagram posts, political cartoons, newspaper columns, and more, this text will help you understand, discuss, and write about some of the most important issues in America today.  More than half of the readings have been published since 2021, so you know that you will be engaging with current works on pressing issues that matter.

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Table of Contents

Robert Atwan

Robert Atwan is the series editor of the annual Best American Essays, which he founded in 1985. A former director of The Blue Hills Writing Institute at Curry College, Atwan has published essays, reviews, and critical articles in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Atlantic Monthly, Iowa Review, Denver Quarterly, Kenyon Review, River Teeth, Creative Nonfiction, and many other publications. For Bedford/St. Martin’s, he has also edited Ten on Ten: Major Essayists on Recurring Themes (1992); Our Times (1998); and Convergences (2009). He has coedited (with Jon Roberts) Left, Right, and Center: Voices from Across the Political Spectrum (1996) and is editor of America Now (2017).

The most current, brief, and high-interest readings in a single composition text—curated by Robert Atwan

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America Now: Short Essays on Current Issues Thirteenth Edition

There is a newer edition of this item:.

• ISBN-10 1319268447
• ISBN-13 978-1319268442
• Edition Thirteenth
• Publisher Bedford/St. Martin's
• Publication date September 24, 2019
• Part of series America Now
• Language English
• Dimensions 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.47 inches
• Print length 448 pages
• See all details

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Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bedford/St. Martin's; Thirteenth edition (September 24, 2019)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 448 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1319268447
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1319268442
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.47 inches
• #19,853 in Core
• #35,909 in Words, Language & Grammar (Books)

About the author

Robert atwan.

Robert Atwan is the founder and series editor of the annual Best American Essays. The editor of numerous anthologies, he has written on the ancient literature of the Near East and his critical essays and poetry reviews have appeared in many national periodicals. Laurance Wieder is the author of several volumes of poetry, including The Coronet of Tours; No Harm Done; The Last Century: Selected Poems; and One Hundred Fifty Psalms, a complete psalter. He has taught Bible and Ancient Authors at Cornell University.

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