The "Bedford Reader"is a serious and comprehensive college writing and reading text, but unlike Reading Critically, Writing Well or Dreams and Inward Journeys, Bedford leaves a little more room for teacher and student flexibility. Laid out again according to modes of writing, each chapter of the Bedford Reader lays out the strategies for writing as well as revising in that chapter’s particular mode. Every chapter begins with a breakdown of its particular content into these categories:
- The Method
- The Process
- Focus on Verbs
- Checklist for Revising a Narrative
- Narrative Paragraphs
- Narration in Practice
Readings Arranged to Illustrate Modes
This is followed by the selected essays for that writing mode, be it Narrative, Description, Example, Compare/Contrast, Process Analysis, etc. Each of these is followed by a
Each Chapter Begins With Explanation
- Journal Writing Prompt
- Questions for Meaning
- Questions on Writing Strategy
- Questions on Language
- Suggestions for Writing
Writers On Writing and Other Sundries
- Opening hand-drawn illustration to provide discussion
- Brief excerpt of a chosen author speaking about his or her own writing process
- Generous list of Suggested Writing Topics for each mode
- Pairing of essays with questions and guided analysis
Opening Chapters Address Reading/Writing Skill
The book’s first two chapters deal extensively with the process of reading and writing. The first chapter, Reading Critically, presents the criteria in easy to understand format of the critical steps necessary to read a text for meaning and context. The accompanying essay, in this case Disability by Nancy Mairs, has been annotated for this purpose. The second chapter, Writing Effectively, addresses the strategies for getting started on an essay, thinking about the thesis, making discoveries pertinent to the subject matter, suggestions for revision and all things focused on the writing itself. The third chapter pertains to all things about research and documentation including a source citation manual using MLA style.
Chapters in Order:
- Reading Critically
- Writing Effectively
- Using and Documenting Sources
- Narration: Telling a Story
- Description: Writing with Your Senses
- Example: Pointing to Instances
- Comparison and Contrast: Setting Things Side by Side
- Process Analysis: Explaining Step by Step
- Division or Analysis: Slicing into Parts
- Classification: Sorting into Kinds
- Cause and Effect: Asking Why
- Definition: Tracing a Boundary
- Argument and Persuasion: Starting Opinions and Proposals
The essays in this book are a good length averaging six pages and present a variety of subject matter. Each selection illustrates to a fair degree the writing mode to which it has been assigned. Also, there is a grouping of the essays by thematic content which give both teacher and student a different means of selecting the essay. The themes are: Autobiography, Biography, Childhood and Family, Class, Communication, Community, Cultural Diversity, Death, Environment, Ethics, Globalization, Health and Disability, History, Homelessness, Humor and Satire, Law, Manners and Moral, Marriage, Media, Psychology and Behavior Reading, Writing, and Language, Science and Technology, Self-Discovery, Sexuality, Social customs, Sport and Leisure, Violence, War and National Security, Women and Men, and Work.
Overall Strengths
- Straightforward organization which is easy to grasp
- Uncomplicated but well explained strategies for reading and writing for each mode
- Visual illustrations to provoke discussion
- Topical essays which provoke good discussion
There is also a Brief Bedford Reader which follows the same format, inlcudes the exact same instructional guidelines but includes fewer essays. This seems to take into consideration the student's budget and accomplishes the same end. .
A Couple of Weaknesses
- Not as much explanation for each mode as some teachers might like
- Smaller selection of readings in the shortened version, but adequate for 16 week course
For another Suite article on teaching college students see Help College Students Become Better Readers.
Necessary Details:
Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, D.M., Aaron, J.E. The Bedford Reader, 9th edition (2006). Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
Kennedy, X.J., Kennedy, D.M., Aaron, J.E. The Brief Bedford Reader, 9th edition (2006). Boston and New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
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